11-year-old Northamptonshire boy with no more than a year to live hopes to meet Tom Holland

An 11-year-old Northamptonshire boy, who has been told he has nine to 12 months to live, has put meeting Tom Holland at the top of his bucket list.

Charlie Quarterman from Syresham, near Silverstone, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour on March 22, after only experiencing symptoms around two days before.

The youngster told him mum and dad that he was struggling to blink out of one eye. One side of his face becoming numb, followed next, which raised alarm bells for Charlie’s dad as he feared he could be having a stroke.

Doctors thought it might be Bell's Palsy and Charlie was given steroids. However, the doctor also asked if Charlie had always had a twitch in his eye.

The twitch clearly rang alarm bells for the doctor as a day later Charlie’s mum and dad were told he had an appointment for an MRI scan at John Radcliffe Hospital on the same day.

After a day in hospital undergoing tests, Charlie and his family received the devastating news that he has a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) tumour, which according to Brain Research UK, affects around 20 to 30 children a year.

Matthew Quarterman, Charlie’s brother, said: “Three weeks ago Charlie was happy, playing with mates, going to school, gaming.

“Now he has been told he has nine to 12 months to live, with treatment.

“His rate of deterioration is rapid. He is in a wheelchair, he can’t walk, he has no feeling down one side of his body and his face is puffed out.

“He can’t do much now. It’s such a shame, over such a short period of time.”

Charlie and his family have been told that the tumour is inoperable as it is on a part of the brain that is inaccessible. They have also been told that chemotherapy will not have an impact, but that radiotherapy could “buy Charlie some more time” and potentially reverse some of the effects. It is hoped that Charlie will start his treatment next week.

To help Charlie fulfil his dreams and make memories in the short time he has left, Matt set up a GoFundMe page, with an original target of £5,000.

However, that target was smashed quickly, with generous donations from family, friends and complete strangers, so Matt increased the target to £17,500. At time of writing, the figure stands at just over £14,000.

Charlie’s bucket list includes meeting Tom Holland, as he is a big Spiderman fan, visiting London Zoo, holding lion cubs, feeding lions, eating at Five Guys, and heartbreakingly, going back to school to see his friends.

38-year-old Matt added: “We are all overwhelmed at the love and support we have had from people.

“I got into work and money had been put under my door as someone’s kids wanted to donate from their pocket money.

“It makes you so reflective and gives you faith in the world. People’s wallets have been stretched a lot over the last few years, but they are still able to find money.

“We just want to give Charlie as much of a quality of life as possible in the short time he has.”

Matt added that Charlie is so tired at the moment and is sleeping a lot, but he wanted to post an update on the fundraising page to thank everyone who has donated and to say that he “loves everyone”.

To help Charlie fulfil his dreams, donate to the GoFundMe here.