When Daniel McGill began having coughs and colds, his doctor put it down to simple childhood sniffles.

But his parents Fiona and Paul, who are nurses, knew something more serious was happening to their two-year-old.

Eventually, just days before his third birthday, the couple were given devastating news.

Their toddler had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, and would require gruelling treatment.

Fiona said: "Daniel wasn't diagnosed until late on in terms of the disease.

"He had been ill for a number of months with viral symptoms, such as colds that didn't seem to be getting better and coughs.

"We took him to see the GP but there wasn't any serious concern about his health

at first.

"Eventually his stomach became swollen and he could barely walk without falling down."

Fiona and Paul, an advanced nurse practitioner, took him to Crosshouse Hospital where doctors found the cancer on his adrenal glands, above his kidneys.

After being transferred to Yorkhill, doctors found that the disease had spread to his bones and joints.

Ten days later, on his third birthday, Daniel had his first chemotherapy session in a course of treatment that saw him stay in Yorkhill for 14 weeks.

Fiona, 32, said: "We came to know the staff in Yorkhill really well. They were more like a family for us.

"Yorkhill is absolutely amazing. The nursing staff were all absolutely amazing but it was a very difficult time."

Following the first course of treatment, Daniel, the couple's first child, was allowed home for a short spell.

But tests showed he still had cancer in his bone marrow, which Fiona said had difficult side effects for the little boy.

She added: "The second lot of treatment had many side effects.

"Daniel was in a lot of pain and was on morphine during the chemotherapy.

"It was hard to see him like that but he was brave and in good spirits. He just kept going."

In July 2012 Daniel's parents were told the cancer had cleared from his bone marrow and on August 1 he underwent an operation to remove the main tumour from his abdomen.

After nine days in Yorkhill, he was again allowed home to his family.

Fiona said: "Daniel recovered well from the operation and had three weeks of radiotherapy at the Beatson. Just as in Yorkhill, at the Beatson, they were great, fantastic.

"It was so hard for him. He recovered well and the staff were brilliant but he didn't like the anaesthetic.

"He would say, 'I don't want that white stuff.' He thought it looked like milk."

Despite the intensive treatments and surgery, Daniel was still not cancer free and so began a

clinical trial.

Fiona, from Saltcoats, added: "The clinical trial was gruelling for him. He was in hospital for two weeks at a time, though did get to come home between treatments.

"They gave him morphine and ketamine to deal with the pain during the 10 days of treatment but it was difficult, very hard going."

The family was due to take Daniel to Peppa Pig World in Hampshire, on holiday last April but chose to stay home due to the harsh weather.

Instead, they went bowling and, shortly afterwards, Daniel developed a nose bleed that just wouldn't stop.

Fiona and Paul took their son to Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, before he was transferred to Yorkhill.

While having blood transfusions to keep him alive, doctors scanned Daniel and told his devastated parents there was no more they could do.

The four-year-old was too ill to go home and needed constant blood transfusions to stop him bleeding to death.

For 11 days, Fiona and Paul did not leave his side, sleeping in his hospital room.

Daniel died on April 6 - and his parents talk about him every day to his little sister, Robyn, who is now also four.

But his memory is also kept alive in his new baby brother, Jude, who has Daniel as a middle name.

Jude, 18 weeks old, is named after Daniel's favourite nurse at Yorkhill.

In their son's honour, the couple have promised to raise money for charity to help some good come from their experience.

As part of the family's fund-raising efforts, Paul, 46, and three colleagues from Crosshouse Hospital cycled 1000 miles in 10 days through Germany.

Having already raised £20,000 while Daniel was having treatment, they now hope to generate an extra £10,000 at a dinner dance.

Money raised will be shared between North Ayrshire Cancer Care, which took Daniel for his appointments at the Beatson; the Neuroblastoma Society, for research; and CLIC Sargent, for giving Daniel two holidays in Prestwick.

The dance is next Saturday in the Park Hotel, Kilmarnock, and tickets can be booked by emailing oordaniel@gmail.com or calling 07901522068.