A teenager is appealing for the public’s help after being diagnosed with an aggressive childhood cancer.
Luke Wiltshire, 15, of Northolt , was first diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma, a cancer of specialised nerve cells, in 2012 after complaining of back pain and the appearance of a lump in his abdomen.
He was admitted to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and within a week was transferred to University College Hospital, London, where further tests were conducted, finally determining that Luke had stage four neuroblastoma.
Luke’s sister, Claire Riley, 24, is encouraging people to visit her brother’s JustGiving donation page.
She said: “Cancer is really not something that we were expecting. It was a complete shock and we were devastated.
“Luke needs your help. Please support my brother and donate to help children with neuroblastoma or Luke should he need expensive trialled treatment.”
The Neuroblastoma Children’s Cancer Alliance UK (NCCA UK) helps children access potentially life-saving treatment, whilst supporting research that aims to introduce new treatments but also brings existing internationally available options to the UK.
It supports parents by sharing the most current resources available for neuroblastoma treatments and providing contact to other parents who want to share their knowledge and experiences.
Chief Executive of the NCCA UK, Bettina Bungay-Balwah, said: “We’re still working tirelessly to raise funds for new UK trials and bring promising international treatments to the UK, but unfortunately some families and friends are left with no other option but to fundraise for specialist treatment when needed.
“I would urge anybody reading this to give what they can to help Luke beat this aggressive cancer.”
You can make a donation to Luke’s appeal by visiting www.justgiving.com/NCCAUKLukesJourney or texting LUWT78 and your amount £1-£10 to 70070.
All donations are made to the NCCA UK’s general fund, from which the trustees allocate funds for treatment for the child concerned as well as research, education, awareness and administration costs.
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer diagnosed in the first year of life, with an average age at diagnosis of 18 months and in most cases it is only diagnosed when it has already progressed to a late high risk stage.
Even when children are tested clear of neuroblastoma after initial hospital treatment, a high percentage of children with high risk neuroblastoma will relapse and some will not respond to therapy.
When relapse happens there is no standard treatment path to follow, with clinical trials often becoming the best option.
