Lucas, 5, found a similar motivation and strength to his cartoon canine hero, during treatment at The Royal Children’s Hospital for Burkitt lymphoma, a fast-growing, aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

His health ordeal began after Lucas’s mother, Phuong, noticed a lump on her son’s neck. Tests and a biopsy at the RCH confirmed Lucas had cancer.

“It was a nightmare,” father, Le, said. “Phuong collapsed on the floor when she was told.

Phuong nodded. “I didn’t want to say the word cancer.”

RCH oncologist Claudia Toro said Burkitt lymphoma was “quite aggressive, so we match the aggressiveness of the tumour itself with intensive therapy, and multiple cycles of chemotherapy”.

Lucas stayed in hospital for four months for treatment.

“He missed his birthday,” Dr Toro said. “He had back-to-back rounds of chemotherapy, he was attached to infusions for his nutrition … and pain relief. He needed multiple blood transfusions and he was sick with fevers. He really had a rough trot.”

Phuong said: “He was very brave. I explained to him, ‘We’re here to fight the lump, and get the lump away from your body.’ He listened to us and he coped with the treatment.”

She said it was difficult to see their boy go through intensive treatment.

“We had to stay strong for him,” Phuong said. “Do we have any other choice? Do we have any other option? He needed us to be strong.”

Dr Toro said Lucas was brave, and added: “He’s been a really active participant in his own health care. When the doctors do their rounds every morning, and we ask him how he is, he’s the first one to pipe up and explain how he’s feeling.”

Phuong said teams at the RCH supported Lucas, as well as she and her husband.

Le added: “It’s an unlucky event, and it’s been unlucky for Lucas, but in other ways, we are very lucky because (the diagnosis) happened here, at the RCH.”

Lucas completed his treatment, and after four months at the RCH, finally went home. He was also fired up for a belated birthday party.