Boy, five, who travelled to New York for life-saving drug not available on the NHS after his family raised more than £232K is now cancer-free and ‘getting stronger every day’
- Liam Scott, 5, from Edenbridge in Kent, is in remission after an experimental cancer vaccine in New York City
- His family raised £232,000 for the treatment in 2020 after he was diagnosed in 2019
- The former Dagenham and Redbridge player Charlie Holmes and his family helped the appeal reach its target
- Claire Scott, Liam’s Mother, is hoping to bring the cancer vaccine treatment to the UK
A boy aged five who went to New York for a potentially life-saving vaccine after his family raised more than £232,000 is now cancer-free and ‘getting stronger by the day.’
Liam Scott and his parents have been travelling back and forth to America over the past year for experimental cancer treatment, which is not available on the NHS.
He is now back in the UK and in remission and has finally been able to go to school, which has delighted his parents.
His Mother Claire said: ‘He has got so much energy. He’s getting stronger by the day.
‘He’s cheeky. He actually just tells us what to do.’
Liam Scott (pictured) and his parents have been travelling back and forth to America over the past year for experimental cancer treatment, which is not available on the NHS
His Mother Claire (pictured right) hopes to bring the cancer vaccine treatment to Britain and described the ‘traumatic’ experiences of parents raising huge amounts of money while caring for a sick child
His Mother hopes to bring the cancer vaccine treatment to Britain and described the ‘traumatic’ experiences of parents raising huge amounts of money while caring for a sick child.
Ms Scott said: ‘You feel this helplessness because you are talking about such large sums of money.
‘At the end of the day it’s so traumatic to go through what they are going through with their little ones. You are not really in the right headspace to fundraise.
‘All you really can think about is your child, and you need to do everything that you can so that they can live.’
He is now back in the UK and in remission and has finally been able to go to school, which has delighted his parents
Liam, from Edenbridge, Kent, spent a year having treatment for neuroblastoma cancer after he was diagnosed in 2019, the day after his sister Kylie was born.
Neuroblastoma affects around 100 UK children each year and often needs aggressive medical intervention.
Although Liam had rounds and rounds of painful treatment, the nature of the rare disease meant there was a risk of it coming back, which would have devastating consequences.
It was decided that an experimental cancer vaccine in New York, which could prevent the disease coming back, was their only option and the family set about raising the £232,000 for the treatment.
Liam, from Edenbridge, Kent, spent a year having treatment for neuroblastoma cancer after he was diagnosed in 2019, the day after his sister Kylie was born
Although Liam had rounds and rounds of painful treatment, the nature of the rare disease meant there was a risk of it coming back. It was decided that an experimental cancer vaccine in New York, which could prevent the disease coming back, was their only option and the family set about raising the £232,000 for the treatment
In March 2020 when the coronavirus lockdown hit, Liam’s family worried about how they would raise the money, as events like the London Marathon were cancelled.
Help came from local footballer Charlie Holmes and his family, who joined Team Liam and said they would not stop until they hit the target.
The former Dagenham and Redbridge player ran 140 miles in 14 days, all live streamed on Instagram.
Help came from local footballer Charlie Holmes (pictured centre) and his family, who joined Team Liam and said they would not stop until they hit the target. The former Dagenham and Redbridge player ran 140 miles in 14 days, all live streamed on Instagram
Liam’s family reached their £232,000 target in July 2020 after a flurry of social media support on Twitter and a £2,000 boost from footballer Pepe Reina.
His family cried with happiness when they realised they had met their target and Liam would be off to America to get the experimental vaccine.
They have been flying back and forth to New York City for several months- with special exemption from the US Government’s Covid-19 travel ban.
Liam’s Father, Mike, said: ‘Every child who is going through Liam’s treatment, all the parents are trying to get to the US for this vaccine.
‘Liam has a positive story, he has come out a normal, little boy, really, at the other end.
‘The (vaccine) treatment has to come to the UK.’
Liam is now back home in Kent with his family and they are adjusting to life without constant trips to New York City
Liam is now back home in Kent with his family and they are adjusting to life without constant trips to New York City.
Ms Scott said: ‘I think it’s a new normal. I think we are so used to fighting it and fighting for our life.
‘I think we are still processing that and dealing with it, and taking a step back and focusing on the present.
‘I know now that everything can change in a heartbeat.’
Ms Scott knows her son’s plight is not unique and many other parents who have children with neuroblastoma are found on fundraising websites as they too are desperate to raise money to get their child to New York.
‘I am going to make sure this vaccine gets to the UK,’ she said.
What is neuroblastoma?
Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that mostly affects babies and young children.
It affects around 100 children each year in the UK and is most common in children under the age of 5.
The cause is unknown. There are very rare cases where children in the same family are affected, but generally neuroblastoma does not run in families.
Symptoms can include:
a swollen, painful tummy, sometimes with constipation and difficulty peeing
breathlessness and difficulty swallowing a lump in the neck
blueish lumps in the skin and bruising, particularly around the eyes
weakness in the legs and an unsteady walk, with numbness in the lower body, constipation and difficulty peeing
fatigue, loss of energy, pale skin, loss of appetite and weight loss
bone pain, a limp and general irritability
rarely, jerky eye and muscle movements
Source: NHS
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