Max and Molly struck up a friendship early on.
Molly, 24, says: “He was in my first ever class. I had just finished teacher training and he was in my first year group, so those are very special children.”
Max said: “The year before I didn’t have a great year because I didn’t really enjoy it.
“But then when I went into Year 5, it was just the best year ever.
“It was fun and nothing felt boring – even the subjects I didn’t enjoy were just fun.”
In April, Molly found a lump and while she was referred for tests, her age meant both she and the doctor were not worried.
“I went to hospital, they did a biopsy and then on 11 June, I got a phone call saying ‘you need to come into hospital today’.
“And I kind of just knew, because they don’t call you in if it’s nothing.”
Fortunately the cancer has not spread.
“But if I hadn’t got checked,” she adds. “If I hadn’t been seen, hadn’t gone for that appointment and been waiting, it could have been a different story.”