The parents of four-year-old Gavin Glynn, who died last night after a long battle with a rare form of cancer, have paid tribute to "our Superman".
The young boy, from Greystones, Co Wicklow, was surrounded by his parents Jayne and John Glynn as well as his siblings Conor and Lucy when he died, a post on the Team Gavin Glynn Facebook page said this morning.
Gavin was diagnosed with Embroyonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the muscles attached to the bones, in October 2011 at the age of 18-months. He came to national prominence in June this year when a fundraising campaign raised €350,000 in a single week for him to receive specialist treatment in Texas.
He previously underwent chemotherapy and surgery to have his tumour removed in 2012 but the cancer later returned. He underwent subsequent therapy in Switzerland and, later, Amsterdam but the cancer again returned each time.
His parents launched the ‘My Boy’ fundraiser earlier this year after they were told Gavin had just months to live. Having no further options in Ireland, they raised €350,000 to travel to Texas for a new treatment called HIPEC.
But in the early hours of this morning, Gavin’s father John posted a message on Facebook reading: “Rest in peace our beautiful baby. You fought the hardest fight anyone could imagine and all the way to the end. You are and will always be our Superman.
“Gavin passed very peacefully tonight with Conor, Lucy myself and Jayne holding hands on our couch at home. Fly high buddy we all love you so much xxxx”
