Six-year-old boy surprised by classmates after finishing chemotherapy

John Oliver Zippay, 6, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was three years old.

Since then, he has been in and out of hospital undergoing treatment and completed his chemotherapy in December.

When he went back to school, his classmates welcomed him with a standing ovation as they were so happy to see him back.

According to the school’s principal Patrick Gannon, it was tough for the entire school to see the boy in pain but they were glad he came back stronger.

“Him having to miss some of the time was tough, but the class was just so happy to see him come back," said Gannon in an interview with CNN.

According to the boy’s parents, trouble started in 2016 when Oliver fell and hit his head on the headboard of his bed.

This left him lethargic and after taking him to hospital, several tests were done and everything was pointing towards a form of Leukemia.

He started treatment immediately and although the side effects took a toll on him, he managed.

On his last day of treatment, Oliver was surrounded by his family and he was told to ring a bell immediately he was done.

"And that's when I told him, 'okay buddy, you gotta ring the bell. Ring it for all the kids who didn't have the chance to ring it' and it's like everything went into slow motion for me," said his father.

Adding: "He rang it so hard, he was so proud."