A SPORTS-MAD youngster who was left fighting for his life in a hospital bed after catching a rare disease has bounced back to win his school’s Race For Life.

Zac Mathews was just six when he was taken to Colchester General Hospital suffering from pneumonia.

Doctors did not realise he was also showing symptoms of the potentially deadly Kawasaki disease – a rare condition that affects just eight in 100,000 children.

The disease causes the blood vessels to become inflamed and swollen, which can lead to fatal complications in the blood vessels to the heart.

His mum Philippa, of Clacton, said it was heartbreaking to see Zac lose half his body weight and watch his skin start to peel away.

“The hospital had not seen a case like this before and it was a couple of weeks before the diagnosis was confirmed,” she said.

“Zac was then treated with immunoglobulin, which put the symptoms into reverse.”

Fortunately, the treatment worked and Zac, now aged nine, was allowed home, where he made a full recovery.

The budding sports star was one of the first to sign up for the race For Life at Gosfield School, where he is a pupil and his mum is head of the pre-school.

Two hundred youngsters took part in the 5k race, which raised £2,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Zac came first in the prep school race.

His dad, Simon Clarke, said: “We are tremendously proud of Zac coming back from his own illness to help raise money for charity.”