Four-year-old boy with rare cancer desperately needs £250k for drug trial

The family of a four-year-old boy is battling to raise £250,000 to help him in his desperate battle with a rare cancer.

Calum Rae’s family says an expensive American drug trial will help the young boy fight off an aggressive neuroblastoma cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of 50 percent.

Little Calum’s mum Victoria McDonald and dad Andrew Rae hope the treatment will give them a bit more time with their son, the Daily Record reports.

Calum was first diagnosed in March and has so far fought through seven cycles of chemotherapy.

But he still has a stem cell transplant and four weeks of radiotherapy left to endure.

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Speaking to the Record, Andrew, 35, from Ayrshire said: “We have to be strong, we have to keep fighting for Calum and we are doing everything we can to help save our little boy. We just need some help.”

Victoria, 33, said: “When they told us Calum had cancer, we just crumbled. Our whole world just stopped.

“The first thing that goes through your head is, ‘is he going to die? He’s only four. Are we going to lose our boy?’

“It was total panic. Seeing him, you just wish it wasn’t real. There are times I just sit and cry and pray it’s been a mistake but this is our reality.”

She added: “This cancer is so aggressive they don’t even call it being in remission because it is so likely to come back.”

Calum’s battle with cancer stretches back to January, when the young boy caught chickenpox.

But when his symptoms didn’t subside, his GP suggested it could be a post-viral infection linked to shingles.

He was later sent for an MRI scan as his condition kept getting worse. The scan revealed he had a neuroblastoma close to his spinal cord.

When Calum finishes his treatment in Glasgow, doctors will then decide on surgery to remove the tumour. If surgery is given the go-ahead, he could be considered for the American trial.

Victoria said: “He’s very strong willed and determined and the nurses say that will stand him in good stead as he goes through this. He isn’t going to just take this, he is going to give this a good go.”

The Rae family has already raised £66,506 toward their £250,000 target on Just Giving, but are still a long way off getting Calum the treatment he needs.

To donate to the fundraising campaign for Calum, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/calumourraeofsunshine