Anna jets to US for life-saving treatment
THERE were smiles all round yesterday as a brave youngster jetted off to the US for life-saving cancer treatment.
Anna Drysdale, eight, flew to New York after a mystery Sunday Express reader anonymously donated to fund her immunotherapy treatment.
We have previously reported on Anna’s struggles with bone sarcoma cancer, which she has fought twice in her life already.
Without the £400,000 life-changing treatment, it is almost certain the cancer will return.
But, thanks to the mystery donor, she is set to have five rounds of immunotherapy in the US.
Last night, mother Keeley, father Ian and big sister Ellen accompanied her across the Atlantic.
Keeley said: “Ever since the donation was made it has been a whirlwind. We had our fundraising heads on and then all of a sudden we were told a mystery person had donated hundreds of thousands and we could go. Overnight. It is a lot to take in and I can’t believe we are going.” The family, from Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire, travelled to the US Embassy to get visas at the start of the week and had their passports taken on Tuesday while they awaited the necessary paperwork.
Anna is due at the Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer hospital in New York tomorrow.
A week of blood tests, scans and other health checks are expected to commence immediately.
US doctors said they believe the immunotherapy, which teaches the body to detect cancer cells while boosting the immune system, should have a high chance of stopping Anna’s cancer from returning. The family now expect to be in New York for the next six months. Keeley added: “Thank you again to every single person who has donated.”
● To donate, go to justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/ Anna-drysdale
EVERYONE will be delighted to have seen brave Anna Drysdale yesterday jetting off for her life-saving treatment in the US.
The eight-year-old has a rare form of cancer which can only be treated abroad and, thanks to the fundraising efforts of her mother Keeley, a mystery donor who has paid for the operation and the generosity of Sunday Express readers, Anna now has a fighting chance.
We wish her all the best for the weeks to come and trust her treatment will be successful.