Bella Stone
Hi, we're Cindy and Liam, and we're raising funds for our son, Teddy.
Just a few months before his fifth birthday, Teddy was a happy little boy enjoying everything childhood should be about — playing, laughing and making memories with his family.
Nothing could have prepared us for how suddenly our lives were about to change.
After becoming unwell, Teddy underwent a CT scan and we received the devastating news that he needed emergency brain surgery for a mass at the back of his brain.
Following surgery, we were told every parent's worst nightmare.
Teddy had metastatic medulloblastoma, a Grade 4 pediatric brain cancer with MYC amplification — one of the most aggressive forms of childhood brain cancer. By the time it was discovered, the disease had already spread throughout his brain, spine and cerebrospinal fluid.
Since that day, our family has been living a reality we never imagined possible.
Teddy has faced brain surgery, intensive treatment, countless hospital visits, scans, tests and procedures that no child should ever have to endure. Through every setback, he has continued to show a strength that inspires everyone around him.
Today, we find ourselves facing the most important challenge of Teddy's journey so far. Despite everything he has been through, there is still hope.
Teddy has been provisionally accepted into a pioneering clinical trial at Penn State Children's Hospital in Pennsylvania, USA. The trial uses DFMO therapy and has shown promising results in helping children with high-risk medulloblastoma remain in remission.
For the first time since Teddy's diagnosis, we have been given a genuine opportunity to fight for a future beyond this disease.
But there is one devastating obstacle: we have just 60 days to get Teddy to the United States and secure his place in the programme. After that, the opportunity may no longer be available to him.
The cost of treatment, medical monitoring, travel, accommodation and insurance is estimated to exceed $250,000 — far beyond what our family can raise alone.
We understand that no treatment comes with guarantees. But we cannot walk away from a chance that could help keep Teddy's cancer from returning. If Teddy's cancer relapses, his chances of survival become heartbreakingly low.
That is why we are asking for your help today.
Every donation will help give Teddy the opportunity to access this potentially life-saving treatment and the future every five-year-old deserves.
If you are unable to donate, sharing Teddy's story could be just as powerful and may help us reach someone who can.
Thank you for taking the time to read Teddy's story, for standing beside our family and for helping us fight for his future.
With love and gratitude, Cindy, Liam and Teddy
