Heartbroken family of terminally ill Sunderland football mascot Bradley Lowery, 6, say cancer is spreading fast

Terminally ill Sunderland football mascot Bradley Lowery is receiving end of life care, his family has said.

The six-year-old, who has captured the heart of the nation, has "not long" to live as his cancer has spread.

On Wednesday evening, his family posted to Facebook saying they had been “overwhelmed” by messages of support but that Bradley’s condition was worsening fast.

“Bradley had a scan on Monday and it showed what we feared. Bradley’s cancer is spreading at a very fast rate and he has now got lots of new tumours including in his lungs,” the family said.

“The lump that was causing pain was originally thought to be an abscess has got bigger and they now believe it’s a tumour.

“We are heartbroken this is happening so fast,” they said.

A highlight for many Sunderland fans this season has been seeing how striker Jermain Defoe and Bradley have struck up a remarkable friendship, which included the star footballer visiting the boy in hospital.

Just last week, Defoe joined Bradley to celebrate the boy's sixth birthday along with more than 250 family and friends.

The party thrown for the young Sunderland fan, whose fight against neuroblastoma touched people around the world, was complete with fire-eaters, a funfair, marquee, jugglers and stilt-walkers.

Defoe and Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone were pictured, happy, with the little boy at the extravaganza.

His mother Gemma said at the time: “I'm absolutely over the moon that we have managed to get this far and celebrate Bradley's sixth birthday with all of our family and friends.

“He is actually a lot better than he has been, he's still obviously poorly and in a lot of pain but he has rested well in bed all day and he was raring to go tonight.”

Speaking of her son's friendship with the England star, she said: “We are very grateful for Jermain to have taken Bradley in his heart.

“So Jermain's obviously now a friend of the family rather than Bradley's idol - although he is still Bradley's idol - and he makes Bradley happy and he makes Bradley smile, and it's just lovely to see him with him.”

Asked about how the world of football has reacted to Bradley's plight, she said: "It's really overwhelming.

"It's just crazy - we are from a little village, a normal family, and all of a sudden the whole world knows about him.

"It's nice because he's going to leave a legacy, he's going to leave an impression on the world.

"I'm extremely proud."

Bradley has appeared as Sunderland's mascot several times this year, as well as for Everton and in Defoe's England comeback match at Wembley in which he scored.

Fans of different clubs have sung his name at matches and held banners for him.

An appeal to send him Christmas cards ended with him receiving 315,000 through the post.

Bradley will now receive care including radiotherapy, but his family said this was “to control the pain in the hope we get him comfortable”.