The first day of school is a big day for any family - especially when it’s triplets.

But for Caleb Stirrat and his sisters Poppy and Alyssia, this is a day their parents wondered might not come, even up to the last minute.

But with balloons to celebrate ahead of the short drive to St Eunan’s Primary, the triplets are taking a big step.

For the past two years, Caleb has been known to readers for his constant smile through near endless cancer treatments.

Even as he starts school, on paper, he is receiving palliative care, but a trial chemo drug is keeping him stable and parents Karen and Andy are taking each day as it comes.

“Even in the incubator, he was fighting and he has continued to do so and we just hope he has many more years,” said Karen ahead of the big day.

Caleb has regained some weight after a dangerous low last year, and he has hair again after repeated treatments.

Months ago he came back from a bout of meningitis.

“We couldn’t be in a better place compared to last year,” said Karen from the family’s home in Radnor Park. “We can’t believe how much improvement there has been. It’s been a whirlwind two years.”

Those two years included the diagnosis of ATRT (atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour), a fast-growing cancer of the brain and spinal cord.

There have been operations, chemo, radical proton therapy in Florida for months and the cancer’s remission, and return where doctors last year gave him just weeks to live.

So it’s not been easy to plan for the first day of school like some families.

“Sometimes we want to cram in as much as we can in life,” said Karen. “That has its drawbacks.

"It’s between a rock and hard place - you never know what comes next.

“We live in eight-week blocks - we don’t know what the next scan will bring.

"We get four weeks of knowing everything is okay, then week five it’s creeping up, and then week seven and eight it’s on edge.

"It’s a circle of emotion.”

The family was considering ordering uniforms when Caleb finished nursery, but for them they didn’t know how he would be weeks later and were afraid to “jinx it”.

So even four days before school started, Karen was still not quite letting it sink in.

“It will not hit until we see them on the day,” she admitted. “There’s always a bit of negativity that creeps in.

"But we are really pleased and it’s a huge milestone.

“Then I think, ‘how am I going to get three kids out the door?’”

Taxi-driver Andy has returned to work and Karen hopes in time she will be able to do more charity work.

For the moment, there can be weeks without hospital appointments and weeks with three or four packed in.

“Andy tries to be positive as he can be,” said Karen. “Having three kids is crazy at the best of times.

“They were all early and all fought to be here and seeing their determination just gives you the drive to keep going every day.

“It’s not until you start speaking to people there’s so much that’s went on and at the end that there’s these little children and they’re only five.

“And Caleb still smiles every day. It’s great to see.

"He always has this fighting spirit and that’s how we are getting him to school.”