Fourteen-year-old Jaz Hinton has never been one to be wrapped in cotton wool.
The New Plymouth Boys' High School Year 10 student is back in the classroom almost two years after being diagnosed with a large cancerous tumour in his brain. The tumour has since been successfully treated through chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Last month Jaz was among a group of young basketballers from the Ngamotu Hoop Club who won the C grade competition at the Eltham Dandelion tournament in Melbourne, one of the largest junior basketball tournaments in Australia.
Jaz Hinton has sore knees from too much running in between his cancer treatments.
It's been a long road to get back on the court since a tumour was first detected in March 2017 after a long period of severe headaches and vomiting, mother Carolyn Hinton said.
The symptoms were first considered to be the result of a concussion from sport but there was no recollection of Jaz having a knock to the head in sport, she said.
Cancer patient, Jaz Hinton, 14, of New Plymouth, used basketball to overcome his illness.
Finally Jaz was rushed to Auckland Starship Hospital for an urgent operation after waking one morning sick and pale, unable to talk or move, and suffering a huge headache.
A CT scan found a tumour blocking the ventricles in the brain and causing a build up of cerebral spine fluid, Carolyn said.
An operation enabled the fluid to be drained and the swelling to go down, but a week later an MRI scan revealed the tumour in a difficult position to operate on.
"They said he had an inoperable brain tumour and they weren't able to reach it," she said.
But a later biopsy found an inflammation of cells, or a 'pseudo' tumour, was the cause.
Doctors determined Jaz had germinoma, a type of cancerous germ cell tumour.
"The surgeon told us Jaz had a brain tumour, but this is the one you want," Carolyn said.
Over the remainder of the year Jaz underwent rigorous chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at Starship to shrink the tumour.
In between treatments he juggled school work and continued to remain active, including running in the school cross country championships, and coaching young basketballers.
"I wanted to beat it and I wanted to get better so I ran at lunchtimes, and kept doing my homework," he said.
"I never doubted myself."
His only problem is sore knees from running 3.6 kilometres on the rural road outside his parents' house.
A healthy diet of fish and vegetables, and "no ice cream, lollies or two minute noodles", had also helped recovery.
"I realise now I can do anything if I put my mind to it, I try not to waste any time," he said.
Carolyn said the family were confident Jaz would over come his ordeal.
"I had the right student and I couldn't have had anyone stronger.
"We have never kept him in cotton wool."