Hopes for little Cooper Shalders grow a thousandfold as family blessed with origami cranes from friends and strangers PAPER WISHES: Battler Cooper Shalders, 2, with parents Debbie and Damian and the cranes well-wishers have made for him. Mark Cranitch Hopes for Cooper grow a thousandfold Source: The Courier-Mail IT STARTED as a kind gesture from one cancer mum to another. Soon after Cooper Shalders' brain tumour returned, another visitor at the Royal Children's Hospital told his mum, Debbie, she'd been folding paper cranes for him. Word spread quickly, others joined in and a month on, the family has 1000 origami cranes they are threading together and hanging on a wall at home. The crane is a symbol of longevity in Japanese culture. Cooper's cranes have been a labour of love for adults and children alike. A few people have said: 'My children are doing this, they know the story of Cooper. . It's a way of teaching our children that not everyone's as lucky as they are and having them involved in doing something for someone else'," Mrs Shalders said. That's been beautiful. The cranes have brightened what has been a dark time for the family. Mrs Shalders and husband Damian were expecting their second son, Toby, when Cooper, 2, had a golf-ball sized, rare and aggressive primitive neuroectodermal tumour in May last year. Despite surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, a scan last month showed his tumour had grown back bigger than before. He had more brain surgery in March and will start chemotherapy again soon. Although he has some weakness on his left side, Mrs Shalders said that six weeks after his latest operation, Cooper's characteristic "smile, cheekiness and liveliness" had returned. "Considering everything, he's just a little bright spark at the moment," Mrs Shalders said. He's doing all the things I never thought he would do again. She praised staff at the Royal Children's for the care her son had received, particularly his cancer specialist Tim Hassall, describing him as "an angel on earth." "We count our blessings every day that it was Dr Tim who arrived at Cooper's bedside when we were initially admitted," she said. Every nurse that has anything to do with Cooper has also been attentive and beautiful. This is Brain Cancer Action Week and Cooper's family has donated his tumours to the Queensland Children's Tumour Bank for research. About 180 Queensland children are diagnosed with cancer annually, including 40 to 50 with brain tumours. Dr Hassall said about 10 per cent of childhood brain cancers were primitive neuroectodermal tumours. The Shalders have set up a Coins for Cooper account to raise money for the tumour bank's research. To donate: