JUST one year ago he was confined to a wheelchair after treatment for a rare cancer left him too weak to walk.

But now brave Callum Craig is preparing to launch a new race designed to help people living with the disease.

The seven-year-old will crawl, clamber and charge through a mud splattered obstacle course for Cancer Research UK's new Race for Life Pretty Muddy Kids.

The achievement will be an incredible change from where Callum was 12 months ago.

Mum Victoria Craig said: “All Callum has ever wanted is to be a normal, wee boy again.

“He is our hero who kept us strong through all the hospital treatment. Even on the very toughest of days, Callum had a smile on his face.

"From the second he woke up every morning, Callum approached everything in life at 100mph and refused to let cancer change his life.

"The day we were told Callum was in remission from cancer I felt joy and relief to put an end to that part of our lives.

"Now if Callum’s story can help other families get through cancer then I couldn’t be prouder.”

As Callum crosses the finish line of the race, in Bellahouston Park on Saturday, September 16, it will be an especially emotional moment from Victoria and dad Colin.

They recall vividly their fear when sports mad Callum first fell ill.

Victoria and Colin, 41, took him to the GP in February last year after noticing a hard lump in one of Callum’s testicles.

After antibiotics failed to alter what was first suspected to be an infection, Callum was referred to Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children for tests.

On February 22, Callum had surgery to have the testicle removed and the lump was sent to a laboratory to be tested.

A few days later, Victoria was at work when she received a phone call asking the family to come to ward 2A in the hospital for the test results.

The 39-year-old said: “I went online to look up ward 2A and was nearly sick at my desk when I saw it was an oncology ward.

“I had to go home from work as I was so upset. Until then we’d been hoping the lump was something harmless.

"When we were told to come to ward 2A then we knew in our heart of hearts that it wasn’t going to be good news.”

Callum had rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that affects particular types of muscle cells.

In children, it occurs most frequently at around three years of age and around 50 children are diagnosed with the disease each year in Britain.

It was a huge relief when further tests revealed the cancer had been caught early and not spread.

Victoria said: “Callum was in the room with us when we were told he had cancer.

“He was devastated when we later told him the treatment meant he wouldn’t be able to go swimming for months but, through it all, we were very open and honest with him.

"We told him he had to take some medicine to make sure he got better and the bad bugs were gone for good. Our family and friends were an amazing support through it all."

Victoria's mum was five years in remission from breast cancer when her grandson was diagnosed with the disease and Victoria said this was particularly hard for her to deal with.

She also echoes sentiments that must be felt by every parents who has a child with cancer. She said: "If I could have had the treatment in Callum’s place then I would have done.

"I’d have done anything to take away the pain."

After the first few chemotherapy treatments Callum’s eyelashes and hair started to fall out.

Colin decided to accompany Callum to the hairdresser where they both had their hair shaved off at the same time.

Colin, of Auchinloch, near Lenzie, said: “Callum was losing his hair so I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to shave my hair off as well.'

“It was a sign of love and support. It was a sign that we’d decided to face cancer head on.

"This terrible thing had happened to our family and there was nothing we could do to change that. The only way to handle things was to deal with what was in front of us.

"We had no choice. This wasn’t something in life we could simply choose to sit out on.”

Instead of competing with school pals at the Auchinloch Primary sports day last spring, Callum had to stand on the sidelines and give out the prizes.

A play therapist helped Callum cope with chemotherapy sessions by creating games to help distract him.

He developed a serious infection after the final chemotherapy session on August 5 and needed a week in hospital to recover.

But on September 22 last year the family received the best news of all when tests showed Callum was in remission.

And on October 7 after a final clinic visit, Callum rang a special bell in the hospital to officially mark the end of treatment.

Victoria said: “We’d been so strong for so long.

“Ringing that bell was a big moment and Callum was cheered on by all the doctors and nurses.

"It felt like this weight had finally been lifted from our shoulders. The children are encouraged to say a very special poem.

"The words mean so much. They are, ‘Ring this bell three times well, its toll to clearly say my treatment’s done, this course is run and I am on my way.'"

This year Callum was back to his active self at his school sports day, finishing third in the flat race.

And the family have just returned from a dream holiday to Florida where Callum was able to enjoy Disneyland, meeting Mickey Mouse and splashing in the swimming pool.

He has hospital check ups every three months but is doing well and can’t wait to be guest of honour at Pretty Muddy Kids.

Glasgow is one of just six cities across the UK chosen to host Pretty Muddy Kids, which is open to boys and girls up to the age of 12 and features scramble nets, space hoppers and mud chutes..

Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman for Scotland, said: “We’re delighted that Glasgow will be hosting one of our first Pretty Muddy Kids events.

“Race for Life events are not competitive and children can complete the Pretty Muddy Kids course at their own pace, climbing, jumping, walking and laughing their way around."

Last year Cancer Research UK was able to spend more than £34 million last year in Scotland, including around £24m invested in Glasgow, which is home to the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute where scientists are exploring how cancer cells grow, survive and spread.

An exciting programme of work has been established there to look for ways to tailor treatment for pancreatic cancer.