NEWPORT boy Ben Thomas is enjoying his new term back at school after taking a year out to battle cancer.

The brave 11-year-old's leg was amputated in July at Birmingham's Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.

He stunned doctors by leaving hospital only five days after the operation and was hypnotised to prevent him feeling phantom pains after the amputation.

Ben is now awaiting fittings for a new prosthetic leg.

The Argus first featured his story in March this year, after he underwent a gruelling 12 months of multiple bouts of chemotherapy, had part of his leg removed, a procedure to lengthen his existing leg bone, and a hip, femur and knee replacement.

Much of his time since he was diagnosed with a cancerous lump on his leg on his tenth birthday in April 2004 has been spent in Llandough Hospital, and the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

Now back at Gaer Junior School, Ben is making lots of friends in his new Year Six class.

His mum, Jo, said: "He took his 'gap year' and didn't have a chance to learn anything because the treatment was so intense.

"We are waiting for the education department to help get his education up to speed with the other children as he suffers with dyslexia dyspraxia."

Ben has attended a limb centre in Cardiff and is to be measured for a new prosthetic around November.

"We have another fitting in October," said Mrs Thomas.

"I'm grateful to the Whitehead Social Club, Bassaleg, for donating a wheelchair to Ben after members held weekly collections."