WHEN his little boy desperately needed a superhero for strength to battle terminal cancer, he is the devoted dad who transformed into one.

Mike Wilson touched hearts across the world when he pretended to be Spider-Man to surprise his son, Jayden on his fifth birthday.

When little Jayden lost his battle on Christmas morning and was cremated with his favourite Spider-Man action figure, Mike never thought he could find that same strength again.

But today the 30-year-old dad has reason to fight after celebrating the birth of newborn son, Kelan, and has made it his mission to transform into Spider-Dad without his little partner, to help other children battling cancer across the county.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Mike Wilson with wife Lou with new arrival Kelan

Testament to his positivity, the grieving dad has pledged he will get through the first-year anniversary of Jayden’s death by completing gruelling challenges for Naomi House Children’s Hospice near Winchester which supported the family. This will include a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro.

Clutching the same Spider-Man LEGO figurine as Jayden’s, Mike said: “I guess you don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

“When Jayden first knew he was going to be a big brother he named him Rainbow Dash, so Kelan is now our Little Dash. We show him pictures of his big brother, Jayden, every day and feel so happy knowing Jayden is watching him and keeping him safe.

“No way was he ever going to replace Jayden, but it feels like it’s a second chance.”

Mike and wife Lou’s life fell apart when their energetic little boy Jayden was diagnosed with a Grade 4 brain stem tumour in August 2013 by chance after he was taken to see doctors after hitting his head in a fall.

They were told he would survive just six to 12 months. Mike said: “Before this happened we were one happy family, then bang, literally in one moment everything changed.

“I never thought I would be able to deal with it. But you do. You adapt. Survival kicks in. I had to be a survivor for Jayden to get through every day.

“I have always said life is for living.”

Refusing to allow Jayden to ever be sad, the heartbroken family pledged to cherish the time they had together and went about creating a bucket list of fun adventures to make sure his final months were full of happiness and smiles.

These included a helicopter ride, a trip to Disneyland, surfing and feeding dolphins as well as going to the park, playing with his train set and singing his favourite nursery rhyme at the top of his voice.

However, for superhero fans, Mike and Jayden, it was Spider-Man who gave them both strength and, simple pleasures as a father and son included snuggling up under Jayden’s red and blue spider blanket he took everywhere, which has now been turned into a teddy in his memory, playing with LEGO figures and watching the action films back to back.

So Mike, who is a former gymnast for Great Britain and is today a renowned parkour and free runner, didn’t think twice about getting dressed up as the hero, jumping from the roof of their home and putting on his best American accent to lift Jayden’s spirits for the ultimate birthday surprise.

The video showing the youngster gazing in wonder at the superhero went viral online with more than 10 million views across the world.

Mike said: “We wanted to create awesome memories and I documented absolutely everything. If you don’t have hope, what is the point?”

Tragically though, just a month later Jayden got a chest infection and was rushed into hospital.

Mike refused to leave his side for two weeks.

He explained: “I wouldn’t leave him. The whole point of the Spider-Man suit was so that he could have access to his superhero at any time he wanted. I said to Lou ‘I must go home to sleep’. I started suffering with anxiety because I hadn’t slept.”

Mike did return to the couple’s Basingstoke home, but rather than sleep, he did the only thing he could think to help ease his son’s pain – dressing into the costume and filming another clip.

He explained: “I got into the Spider-Man suit, went up into his room with his toys, put a Christmas hat on and sent him a message telling him to get better and that everything was safe. I then said ‘right I have to fight some bad guys now’ and jumped out of shot.

“If only I did have the superpowers.

“Jayden never did see the clip. That was very hard for me.”

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