A superhero-mad boy’s final wish came true when his favourite Disney characters paid him a visit just days before he died.

Freddy Leitch, from Gillingham, was born with a rare genetic disease called Chronic Granulomatous Disease, which meant his white blood cells were unable to kill certain bacteria and fungi, causing him to be prone to infections.

The eight-year-old had dreamed of going to Disneyland Paris, with his family booking the trip multiple times, but his illness meant the trip had to be postponed.

On Sunday, April 16, Freddy took a turn for the worst and mum Kirsty Leitch rushed him to hospital.

Last Wednesday, days after being unwell, Freddy asked his mum last Wednesday if he would still be able to go to Disney and stay in the Marvel hotel.

Knowing he wouldn’t make it to the theme park, Kirsty put out an appeal online asking for people to pay him a visit dressed as his favourite Disney, Marvel and DC characters.

To her surprise, Spider-Man, Stitch, The Hulk, Supergirl and a Power Ranger were among those who rallied together to make the special memory and visit Freddy on Friday.

Mum Kirsty, 33, said: “To all the people that came, we were so grateful. I never expected the appeal to go so mad. The people who turned up were fantastic.

“They gave him the most joyous 20 minutes, half an hour of his life. Afterwards, he said to me, ‘mum, that was the best day ever’.”

The following day, Freddy’s health worsened, but he wanted to go to Smyths toy store.

Nurses from Demelza took him there, where he bought his last set of toys, some of which are still left unopened.

On Sunday, Freddy passed away surrounded by his loved ones, leaving behind sister Ivy-Rose, his step-dad, uncles, aunties and nanny and grandad.

“Demelza kept him at home towards the end of his life. Without them he wouldn’t have the passing that he wanted,” Kirst explained.

“He would have passed in hospital and that was his worst fear. His last breath was peaceful and we couldn’t have asked for better people to be here with us.

“We're heartbroken, we're devastated that he's grown his wings, but grateful that he's gone in peace.

“He’s going to leave a massive Freddy-shaped hole in all our hearts. He's left us with so many memories, that's what he's given us.”

For the first few years of Freddy’s life he had coped well with the disease, but a bone marrow transplant in 2018 failed, and Freddy had trouble with his T-cells, which is what the body uses to fight viruses.

In 2021, Freddy’s kidneys started to deteriorate, and the family didn’t know why.

Last year, doctors found a virus called BK virus, which had been missed and had spread from his bladder to his kidneys.

That January, the family were told the infection had gone too far. Freddy was hospitalised and Kirsty was told the next 24-48 hours would be life-threatening.

“Being the superhero he was, he pulled through,” Kirsty said, “so we made memories from March to October.

“We asked him, ‘if you could do any three things in the world, what would you do?’

“Before his bone marrow transplant we had taken a family trip to Turkey, and he said he wanted to go back, so we did that in October.”

At Christmas, Freddy got an infection in his central line and spent the holiday in hospital.

The family had a trip to Disneyland Paris booked for January, but the youngster was too poorly to go and a series of illnesses and rescheduling the trip meant Freddy never made it.

Kirsty said: “We all remember his sass and his love for life. He never complained or moaned.

“We got him a dog, Phoenix, named after the X-Men character. He adores her, she’s his best friend.

“He also had a puppy, Shuri, named after the Black Panther character.

“He was superhero mad, and football mad. He loved Chatham Town FC. He was going to every home game.

‘He had such determination. It’s something I’ve never seen before in my life...’

“On the Saturday, the day before he took a turn for the worse, he went to their game, and they won.

“He had such determination. It’s something I’ve never seen before in my life.”

The team’s captain and two other players had visited Freddy before he died, and gave him a Man of the Match trophy and a signed t-shirt.

Kirsty added: “They made his last days very special, and they made him smile.”

Along with Freddy’s family, Chatham Town FC are holding a special fundraiser to celebrate his life, with proceeds going towards Demelza and the CGD Society – a charity supporting people and families affected by Chronic Granulomatous Disorder.

The club’s players will have a match against a team of friends and family dressed as Freddy’s favourite superheroes.

The event, on Sunday, May 7, will feature a raffle and auction, a best costume competition, live entertainment, special guests, a balloon release, and more.

It will kick off at 3pm at the Bauvill Stadium in Bournville Avenue, Chatham, with gates opening at 12.30pm.

Tickets will cost £5, or £10 for a family of two adults and two children. To purchase tickets, click here.

Kirsty continued: “Freddy was so giving. He’d want to give to everybody. He was fantastic, he just touched everybody.

“It just goes to show you there’s nice people in the world. When you spread kindness you get kindness.

“By supporting Demelza, if we can make one more family have what we’ve had then we’ve succeeded in our goal.

“And by supporting CGD Society we can fund research into the condition or fund a nurse like Freddy’s, who was with him for eight years.”

A crowdfunder has also been set up for the family, and can be found by clicking here.

It will help give Freddy the superhero funeral he deserves and to allow the family to grieve together without worrying about money.