A nine-year-old boy with a rare and aggressive childhood cancer, whose parents fought tirelessly to raise money to get him treatment abroad, has died.

Adam Bird, from Epsom, had received pioneering treatment in a bid to save his life since he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in July 2009.

Because the immunotherapy treatment to treat Adam's condition was only available outside the UK his family launched Adam’s Appeal which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to fund treatment in Germany and America.

But despite the treatment, which started in 2011, Adam died at his parents home at 9am yesterday.

On the appeal’s blog his father Nick Bird said: "This morning at five minutes after nine, lying in our bed at home as we held his hand, stroked his hair, and told him we loved him, our beautiful little boy Adam took his last breath and left this world.

He will live on forever in our hearts."

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He also published a post, written a few days ago, which said: "For reasons I do not fully understand an odd sense of calm has descended upon me these past few days. I think perhaps I have finally come to realise, understand, and begin to accept.

"There is a time to fight, and we did that, for as hard and as long as we could; perhaps too long though I don't believe so."

Adam was diagnosed with cancer while a pupil at Wallace Fields Infant School in Ewell in July 2009.

By the start of 2012 his family had raised £425,000 with the help of Neuroblastoma Alliance UK and won a battle to get the NHS to fund his treatment in Germany.

Yesterday his father said a suspicious lymph node was revealed to be a precursor to full-blown progression after Adam completed immunotherapy.

He said: "Just recently whilst Adam has been comfortable at home, and we've been able to enjoy simply being in his company each day, overlaid with occasional special moments like our trip to Harry Potter Studios, and the school Tombola.

"And then there is a time to let go … and now is that time."

He felt fortunate to have over two months with Adam 'free of pain, lucid and coherent', which was more than they had dared hope for.

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He said: "That's not to say it's any easier, or less traumatic, or our hearts are any less broken, or there isn't a constant undercurrent of tears in my eyes ready to burst forth at any given moment."

The family had decided the time was right to stop taking him to hospital for blood transfusions as they cared for him at home.

He said: "From the very start of this journey, Alison and I have always done what we believed was the right thing for Adam, for the right reasons.

"So I can't now allow myself to be the cause of unnecessary suffering through my own selfish (though perfectly natural) desire for Adam to remain with us for as long as possible.

"Letting go, not giving up. Letting go … the easiest thing of all … and the hardest thing of all."

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Adam with his family

Immunotherapy is currently only available in the UK in clinical trials, the first of which Adam was rejected for, forcing him to travel to Germany for treatment at a cost of about £65,000 - a cost which NHS Surrey refused to pay.

Adam’s family started fundraising but after starting treatment in August 2011 were shocked to meet four UK families whose children were undergoing the same treatment, funded by their Primary Care Trusts.

After lodging an appeal, NHS Surrey referred Adam’s case to the South East Coast Cancer Drugs Fund for consideration which then agreed to fund his request for five cycles of treatment in Germany.

Fewer than 100 children are diagnosed each year with neuroblastoma in the UK.