A ten-year-old boy who battled a rare form of cancer has had his wish to be a book illustrator granted.
Ben Matthews from Deri, spent a day with Horrid Henry illustrator Tony Ross, thanks to the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
In April 2013, Ben was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, which is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma or cancer of the lymphatic system.
To fight the disease, brave Ben has had to undergo a gruelling course of intensive chemotherapy treatment.
Ben finished chemotherapy in November but still has regular checks and scans every two months.
He loves drawing, reading and making up stories with lots of different characters.
Starlight contacted Tony and the illustrator invited Ben, his parents, Simon and Teresa, and his 14-year-old sister Kate, to his house in Powys.
As a surprise, Tony had arranged for Ben to provide a drawing for the next Horrid Henry book.
Ben said: “It was an awesome day. I am really chuffed that my picture will be going into the new Horrid Henry book! Tony was very nice and spending time with him has made me want to be a book illustrator more than ever when I grow up.”
Tony said: “It was a real pleasure to spend the day with Ben and his family.
“He has obviously been a very brave young man throughout his illness and I am glad to see that it has not held him back from pursuing his dream of being a book illustrator.
“I really enjoyed doing some drawing with Ben and was very impressed by his skill, dedication and patience.
“I hope that we will see many more of his drawings in books in the future.”