Liron's mum Malindy Rose said hearing the news back in 2012 that her son would die was a horrendous blow, since he had initially been diagnosed with a curable cancer.
"He was given a few months to live and the only treatment was palliative care," she said.
"How do you tell your child he's only got a few months to live?"
But when she spoke to Liron, his reaction was not what she expected.
"He told me he could be a miracle, that he didn't have to be a statistic."
His attitude rubbed off on everyone around him, and friends, family and neighbours supported Liron in his quest to beat the odds.
In November 2012, after about five months of chemotherapy, Liron's doctors discovered the tumours could be surgically removed.
Within weeks of a surgery where 80 per cent of his liver was removed, Liron was in full recovery mode - his liver had re-grown to a normal size, and he continued with chemotherapy, until in February 2013 the family was told by the oncologist that he was in complete remission.
"His words to the oncologist were: 'See, I told you I was gonna prove you wrong', and the oncologist said 'you can prove me wrong a million times over,' she was just delighted," Ms Rose said.
Without the support of Starship staff and the Child Cancer Foundation, she said they wouldn't have got through.
"I cannot sing their praises enough. They just stepped in when the family was in crisis mode."
She said the charity helped the family with little things that made a big difference - organising changes of clothes and toiletries, parking permits at the hospital, petrol vouchers, and even a holiday in Taupo.
"Our support person would just be there at the most difficult times to just take me for a cup of coffee and we'd have a chat, and all of a sudden I could carry on again," Ms Rose said.
She said the foundation was always silently behind the scenes, there to support families that were in crisis mode.
Liron's story
• Liron was diagnosed with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma - a liver cancer - in August 2012.
• He was told by doctors there was nothing they could do for him but he was determined to prove them wrong.
• After months of chemotherapy, his doctors found the tumours could be surgically removed - along with 80 per cent of Liron's liver.
• By February 2013 Liron was in complete remission.
