Dad's touching birthday surprise for terminally ill son

A British man has surprised his terminally ill son by dressing up as his favourite superhero on his birthday.

Mike Wilson dressed up as Spider-Man to surprise his son Jayden on his fifth birthday and posted the video to YouTube on Sunday.

Jayden was diagnosed with a high grade brain tumour in September last year and was told he may only have 12 months to live.

The video captures Mr Wilson, dressed from head-to-toe in a Spider-Man costume, jumping from the top of the family’s roof in front of a shocked Jayden.

He then asks Jayden how old he is and whether he is having a good birthday, before hugging the five-year-old and carrying him inside.

Mr Wilson told The Independent he decided to dress up as Spider-Man because he knew how much his son loved the superhero.

"I wanted to surprise him so much with one of his favourite heroes, so I found two costume designers, who were up for the challenge," he said.

"We had the costume printed in America and then got to work putting it together. It was finished about three weeks before Jayden's birthday [so it was] perfect timing to work out how to surprise him."

After falling and bumping his head in August 2013, Jayden's parents took him to hospital for a check-up when they noticed his balance had been affected.

Following the check-up, doctors told Jayden's parents they had found a Grade Four Stem Tumour on his brain and he may only have one year to live.

A follow-up MRI scan in September showed the tumour had increased in size and would eventually cause Jayden’s coordination, speech and movement to deteriorate.

Mr Wilson's video has already attracted over 500,000 views since being posted two days ago.

"I hope to achieve awareness about the condition and to always stay upbeat, positive and spread positive energy to help Jayden fight this," he said.

"He's such a little hero and we want the world to know about his journey. "

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Jayden to help his parents pay for his care.

Source: The Independent