HE has never played a game for the club and he is only eight years old but this third-generation Port Adelaide supporter is about to become its new captain – for a day at least.

Henry Mickan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia last year when he was just seven.

He has since responded well to treatment and is now getting back into school and footy.

His only request after his diagnosis was to become a Port Adelaide member – but he is about to go one better with the help of the Childhood Cancer Association.

For Sunday’s game against Greater Western Sydney Henry will captain the Power, even taking over the number 1 guernsey from regular skipper Travis Boak.

Boak will revert back to the number 10 jumper he wore for his first six years at the club.

It’s a special occasion for Henry and his parents Jack and Angela, who said the news of his diagnosis hit them hard as a family.

“It was just shock to start with,” Jack told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“Angela was 39 weeks pregnant at the time so it was pretty overwhelming.”

“Henry knew he wasn’t well and we told him he had to get treatment and he was ok with that.

“He probably didn’t know what the result could have been but he knew something was up.”

It was a particularly difficult period for Angela, who was about to give birth to baby Bradley.

“We were gearing up to have a baby and then we got the devastating news and we needed to try and focus on that as well as having a baby as well,” she said.

“We ended up having Bradley two days after Henry was diagnosed and then two days after that Henry started treatment.

“Trying to focus on two major events in our family at the same time – and the rollercoaster of emotions with one very happy event and one sad and very scary – it was really tough.

“As difficult as it was having Bradley at the time, it also provided a good distraction for all of us for those down moments.”

The Childhood Cancer Association has helped support Henry’s family throughout his ordeal, involving his sister Natalie, 9, in its Super Important Brothers and Sisters program and offering counselling to the rest of the family.

Henry has now finished his intense period of treatment but still has monthly treatment at a hospital clinic and will be required to take chemotherapy tablets for the next couple of years.

He has returned to Kapunda Primary School and to playing football, and the fun-loving youngster is now again dreaming of a career as an AFL player.

Leading his favourite side out at Adelaide Oval on Sunday will give him a good taste of what it will be like, a fact not lost on his mother Angela.

“It is just amazing to have this experience,” she said.

“The Childhood Cancer Association gave us a call and asked whether Henry would like to be involved.

“He asked me how many other people are doing this and I had to tell him it’s just him.

“He was at the club’s junior football clinic in the holidays and there were 600 kids there so I think he thought it was going to be like that.”

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