 Nick and Rachel Samuel are racing to raise £300,000 for their 18-month-old son's cancer treatment. Just a few months ago, they thought his pain was down to teething problems. Robin Samuel, from London, UK, had just celebrated his first birthday when he woke up screaming in pain in January and was rushed to hospital, where an ultrasound revealed a huge 10 centimetre lump above his kidney. He was then diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma – a rare and aggressive form of cancer affecting just 50 children in the UK each year. Baby Robin immediately began chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital but tests later showed the cancer had spread to his abdomen, pelvis, spine and bone marrow. High-risk neuroblastoma leaves little Robin with just a 40 to 60% chance of survival, one of the poorest survival rates of all childhood cancers, so parents Nick and Rachel need the £300,000 for specialist immunotherapy treatment currently available in Barcelona. The pioneering new cancer treatment trains the body's immune system to kill cancer cells before they become problematic and should raise Robin's chances of survival to 90%. While Robin currently has no detectable cancer after a gruelling course of treatment, it is likely to return, and if Robin relapses his chances of survival drop to just five to 10%. Robin Samuel, from London, UK, had just celebrated his first birthday when he was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma cancer (picture: Caters News Agency) Rachel, 43, a communications manager, said: 'He has something called the oncogene, which means the cancerous cells in his body replicate stupidly fast, so if there's anything remaining that can't be detected, it will develop very quickly. 'We need him to have this treatment as soon as possible. So the sooner he gets it, the better chance he will have. 'It's an antigen therapy. The neuroblastoma cells look a bit different. The treatment identifies cells){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Nick and Rachel Samuel are racing to raise £300,000 for their 18-month-old son’s cancer treatment. Just a few months ago, they thought his pain was down to teething problems.
Robin Samuel, from London, UK, had just celebrated his first birthday when he woke up screaming in pain in January and was rushed to hospital, where an ultrasound revealed a huge 10 centimetre lump above his kidney.
He was then diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma – a rare and aggressive form of cancer affecting just 50 children in the UK each year.
Baby Robin immediately began chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital but tests later showed the cancer had spread to his abdomen, pelvis, spine and bone marrow.