“IT will be a birthday he never forgets.”

Ryan Scutt from Gillingham underwent an operation on September 24 - his 15th birthday - after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer just days before.

The diagnosis came following an MRI scan, after months of unexplained headaches, tiredness and illness.

Despite his ongoing and extensive treatment however, famous faces have been showing their support for Ryan during his journey to recovery.

From Gordon Ramsay to Ben Shephard and the Bath Rugby team, stars have been getting in touch with the teen to wish him well and check on his recovery.

Ryan’s Facebook group, ‘Ryan’s Road to Recovery’ now has more than 650 members. This is in addition to him raising around £4,000 for charity.

Describing the experience as “a real whirlwind”, Ryan’s mother Hayley told the Journal that Ryan’s case was the first of its kind for 15 years at Southampton General Hospital, with one in every two million people being diagnosed with a similar condition.

“He was just the unlucky one who got this,” she said.

The 15-year-old will be undergoing a course of proton radiotherapy in Manchester in the new year.

Despite ongoing chemotherapy, tests and medication, including 90 procedures in just two weeks, Ryan has remained optimistic, aided by daily messages from friends and familiar faces.

“Ryan has just been amazing, he twists everything around. He says ‘I’m not going to worry about this as it won’t change things’ – that has been his philosophy,” Hayley added.

She said: “This has been an eye-opener, it’s a world like nothing you would have dealt with before.

"You just get thrown into it in a heartbeat, to someone you least expect. Ryan was super fit and his life revolved around sport and rugby, he was so healthy and yet this has hit him – it really can happen to anyone.

"When we started getting these messages from famous people, especially Gordon Ramsay, we just couldn’t believe it, there are no words.

“I didn’t think I could have so many emotions across one day. The diagnosis is crushing, like your chest has been ripped out, but then it is such an exciting moment to see your child get this morale boost from so many people.”

Hayley said there was “a visible difference” in Ryan’s mental state after receiving contact and offerings from so many celebrities, adding that he was morphine-free for four days in the early days of treatment as a result.

During his recovery Ryan has also been raising money for the Piam Brown Ward in Southampton, the Teenage Cancer Trust and CLIC Sargent.

Hayley added: “We didn’t know what would come of it, but we wanted to link Ryan’s recovery with raising money for charity. We just wanted to give something back. Everyone involved has just been phenomenal.

“We don’t want this to just be a time he was ill, but something good has happened as well, we can look back with fond memories. What could have been a bleak and dark time we have turned into something positive.”

For more information about Ryan and his story visit ‘Ryan’s Road to Recovery’ on Facebook or to donate visit his Just Giving page.