Instead of spending Christmas Day tearing open gifts with family members, six-year-old Sharwin Fubler was preparing for chemotherapy at the Children's Hospital Boston.

He had just been diagnosed with a serious form of cancer, Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), on Christmas Eve and his parents, Sharwin Sr. and Marvita, were told their son needed to start treatment immediately.

The hospital staff did their best to keep spirits up on Christmas Day, delivering presents to all the children and even organising a visit from Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.

But the news that Sharwin was sick and faced two years of painful treatment was overwhelming for the family and Mr. Fubler said it was impossible to describe what was going through their minds that Christmas.

Sharwin also missed out on his sixth birthday on January 18 because he was still undergoing treatment — though his friends from Somerset Primary gathered here in Bermuda to celebrate and raise money to help his family out.

And six weeks after the initial diagnosis there is no end in sight for the family.

Mrs. Fubler has been granted leave to be with her son, who is still in Boston, while Mr. Fubler has been travelling back and forth from the Island.

The self-employed contractor flew out again yesterday after renewing his passport. He brought with him Sharwin's nine-month old brother Shaquan. Sharwin's other brother, 11-year-old Donovan is staying with an aunt at the moment.

"I just want to be with them right now," Mr. Fubler told The Royal Gazette. "It is a very difficult time for everybody, but we have a lot of support from our family and the hospital is amazing. The Bermuda hospital could really learn a thing or two from them. In Boston they are helping us a lot and doing their best to keep Sharwin happy.

"He has made a friend up there and he gets treats whenever he completes some form of treatment."

This weekend KJAZ radio station will host the Bermuda Breeze concert with Gerald Albright, part proceeds from the event going to help the Fublers with their costs.

At the moment the family's insurance company is covering many of the cost associated with Sharwin Jr.'s medical expenses, but because Mr. Fubler has not been working, things have become tight for the family.

"The doctors told us that he will have to fly up there every six to nine weeks over the next two years for more treatments," Mr. Fubler said. "Already he is on his second round of chemotherapy."

The family first became concerned about Sharwin's health in the summer, when he complained of pains in his legs and arms. They took him to a doctor, but he was diagnosed with growing pains.

The pain continued and Sharwin was given antibiotics because it was thought that he had an infection. Eventually the family went to another doctor who recommended they go overseas for tests.

"I wish we had found out sooner," his godmother Patricia Smith said. "I am glad he is getting treatment now but I just wish we had known about it when we were first worried about his health."

Sharwin, who is an avid musician and motocross rider, is finding the treatment painful, particularly as he is finding eating food difficult.

But his father said one aspect of it has brought a smile to the six-year-old's face: "He loves his bald head! He has a cousin who has a shaved head and he has always wanted one. He was telling me the other day that when it grows back he will shave it off again!"

Chemo causes hair loss in all patients.

The family is optimistic but would like the community to include Sharwin in their prayers.

"The power of prayer can do a lot," Sharwin's grandmother Bettyann Symonds said. She said one of the things she misses most about Sharwin being away is taking him to the New Testament Church, Miracle Temple in Devonshire, on Sundays.

Medical advances also mean that Sharwin's type of cancer is considered one of the success stories of cancer treatment, particularly in children under 15.

"We just ask the community to keep Sharwin and the family in their thoughts and prayers," his grandmother said.

Tickets to Bermuda Breeze this Saturday are being sold at the People's Pharmacy and online at Bermuda Box Office.

A Bank of Bermuda account has also been opened because members of the public have asked to make donations to the help the Fubler family with their medical expenses and bills. The account number is 002-1143-87011.

To send a card or letter to Sharwin and his family you can mail them to the Fubler family at The Boston Ronald McDonald House at 229 Kent Street, Brookline, Massachusetts 02446, USA.

What is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)?

• Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a cancer of the white blood cells

• White blood cells normally fight infections.

• Leukaemia cells are abnormal cells that cannot do what normal blood cells do.

• The abnormal cells are immature white blood cells that cannot help the body fight infections.

• For this reason, children with ALL often get infections and have fevers.

Is it common?

• Cancer in children and adolescents is rare.

• But, ALL is the most common cancer in children, representing 23 percent of cancer diagnoses among children younger than 15.

What are the symptoms?

• Fever

•Fatigue

• Frequent infections

•Swollen or tender lymph nodes, liver, or spleen

• Paleness or pallor

• Easy bleeding or bruising

•Tiny red spots (called petechiae) under the skin

•Bone or joint pain

Children cannot be screened for ALL so any child who have symptoms of ALL should have a blood test done by their physician.

What is the treatment?

•Treatment for children with ALL is complex and involves multiple drugs given in precise schedules more than a period of two to three years.

• Primary treatment for ALL is chemotherapy.

• The specific drugs used for chemotherapy are different for the various subtypes of ALL and are not the same for all patients.