Like countless parents, Dana and Paul Bishop watched with pride last week as their little boy Morgan skipped in to school for his first day back after the summer holidays.

But for this devoted couple, seeing Morgan able to get from his mobility buggy to the school gates was a moment they thought they would never see.

Since he was four months old, Morgan has been living in daily agony due to chronic eczema that has often left him bed bound for up to 24 hours a day.

However, thanks to a remarkable form of water therapy at a renowned dermatology centre in Southern France, just weeks on from completing his first phase of treatment, Morgan is enjoying being a typical five-year-old.

He is now playing with friends at school and even riding his treasured bicycle.  In July, Morgan's heartbreaking story went worldwide when it was revealed on his fifth birthday he had begged parents Dana, 36, and Paul, 43, to 'please let me die'.

'We had people say to us after when his story came out that the newspapers must have exaggerated the headline,' said Dana, from Tadworth in Surrey.

'But sorry no, it was the truth – he really did beg to die and not just once, several times. 

'He would cry out in agony and ask us to stop the pain of his eczema. It absolutely broke our hearts.'

The Bishop family tried every treatment available on the NHS – including a form of chemotherapy. 

Yet Morgan, who also has severe food allergies, asthma and lives with a life-threatening kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome, showed no significant improvement.

The skin on Morgan's feet and legs was so raw and painful he couldn't walk and he could only manage 'pockets of sleep' of 60 to 90 minutes at time, leaving him and his parents exhausted.

Playing with friends and little brother Jenson, aged one, was impossible as Morgan had to be kept for most of his day in his specially modified room at home.

There, a high-tech air filtering machine worked to try and stop his skin becoming inflamed by heat or become irritated by too much exposure to the elements.

He could only attend school for half days at a time.

And Dana had to give up her job as a family support worker to be Morgan's main carer while Paul fitted in his job as a personal trainer around giving his wife time to catch up on sleep and have time with their other son Jenson.

After careful research and learning of its success for other children like Morgan, the Bishops set up a Go Fund Me page to send him to the world-renowned hydrotherapy skin centre in Avene in southern France.

The spa town is famed for its unique healing thermal spring water which has transformed the lives of thousands – both children and adults - living with chronic skin conditions, burns and scars. 

Treatment requires a minimum stay of three weeks at a time and is available on the French health service with a medical referral.

But it is only available privately to anyone outside of the country – often costing into the thousands for long term treatment – not including travel, insurance and accommodation.

Per week, the average cost just for the treatments begins at £550.

However the initial phase is three weeks - so £1,650 for the first phase - and then three visits a year are recommended. a first phase. 

The centre will find patients accommodation and have their own apartment village, but many rent houses just outside of the village. 

Such is the demand from people outside of France, there is a waiting list of up to 18 months with nationals from other European countries and as far as Australia, China and the USA applying all year round.

'It was our last hope,' said Paul. 'I'm a keen cyclist and so along with some friends and family I decided to raise the money with a sponsored 900-mile bike ride from our home to Nice in France during Eczema Awareness Week (13-20 September) and really get the message out there.

'But when Avene learned about our story and how urgently Morgan needed help, they very kindly contacted us and got us over as a priority, covering the cost of the first of the three week treatments.'

The family packed up their car, drove from their two-bedroom Surrey flat and made their way to the idyllic spa town of Avene. 

Over three weeks Morgan underwent twice daily 20-minute hydrotherapy baths in the centre's children's clinic.

As well as drinking the water, which is said to have a unique healing mineral and micro-flora composition only found in Avene, Morgan had to undergo special skin compresses. 

Cotton gauze soaked in water from the thermal spring would be delicately wrapped around his legs, feet and hands – his most painful areas.

'He really struggled with these some days,' said Dana. 'Paul and I would take turns to be with him and amuse him but he would scream and yell – we were at a loss.

'Luckily because he was in a place with lots of other children with very similar skin conditions he gradually became less distressed. 

'But yes, we had our moments when we thought, what on earth are we doing? Is this worth it?

'Paul and I are strong people but we were away from home and our families and so in the first week, we were in bits at times – very emotional. 

'But the staff at Avene were just incredible. They see hundreds of children like Morgan every week and were not fazed by how severe his eczema was or by our stress.

'That in itself was refreshing and reassuring. The doctors and nurses were so professional and we were blown away at how high the standards were.  

'Morgan really fell for one nurse, Celine, who would get him to play with plastic boats and ducks in the bath.

'Within a few days we saw a difference in him - small changes at first like the skin on his back being less red and sore. 

'Then we saw that he was in significantly less pain, more mobile and able to walk a few steps more than the day before. It made the stress of first week worth it.' 

During the second week of Morgan's stay the Bishops noticed a flare up – patches of very inflamed skin around his body - which is very common during the treatment they were advised. This settled down in the final week.

The family also had regular consultations with one of the resident dermatologists, Dr Sabine Petit, who instructed them on how to manage Morgan's skin once they were back in the UK.

On his final day of treatment, Dr Petit examined Morgan and using an official dermatological assessment chart used by skin specialists worldwide, concluded a 22 per cent improvement in his skin compared to the day of his arrival.

Morgan will need to return to Avene in March next year for a further three weeks of treatment and again in August.