Our million-pound
The heartbreak that followed a family holiday
LOTTIE WOODS is five and lives in Braintree, Essex, with mum Charlotte, 37, and dad David John, an events project manager.
She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in June 2016 after a family holiday in Cornwall. She had chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and radiotherapy treatment, followed by immunotherapy until September 2017.
She was given the all-clear in November last year, but was given only a 30 per cent chance of survival if the cancer returned. So her family raised £255,000 to take her to New York for the vaccine treatment to increase her chances of survival.
“She has had so much treatment, she has really been through it,” says Charlotte. “We were pleased when she went into remission, but when the doctors told us that she only had a 30 per cent chance of survival if the cancer returned, that was never enough for us.we couldn’t take that risk.
“We managed to raise the money thanks to the support of family, friends and the community, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Having the treatment in the USA has given her a much better chance. She has managed to start back at school and is doing really well. And it’s all because we managed to raise the money to go to America.
“I can see the logic that more funding isn’t allocated because it’s classed as a very rare cancer. But people are being treated who abuse their bodies, while our children are being allowed to die.”