Parents in desperate fight to save daughter after UK treatment options run out
A couple in Poole have launched an URGENT fundraiser in a bid to save their daughters life following Leukaemia diagnosis
The parents of a baby girl from Poole are trying to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for a drug they believe could save her life, after being told there are no further treatment options available in the UK.
Rachel Hewitt and Kevin Aggett took their daughter Melody to hospital when she was just a few months old, initially thinking she had a cold.
Instead, they were given what they describe as every parent’s worst nightmare… Melody had acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.
At just four months old, Melody underwent two rounds of intensive chemotherapy, requiring multiple blood and platelet transfusions.
She later had surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, followed by a bone marrow transplant.
But at the end of last year, her parents were told the cancer had returned.
“Within a couple of days she was put on a ventilator,” Rachel and Kevin said. “We were told Melody had high-risk leukaemia and the only cure would be a bone marrow transplant.”
Despite the treatment, Melody relapsed again within 30 days, with doctors confirming there was still leukaemia in her body.
A second transplant may be needed in two years’ time but for now, her parents say their only hope lies overseas.
They are trying to raise around £500,000 to fund treatment with a drug called Revuforj, which has been approved in the United States but is not yet available in the UK.
The drug works by blocking proteins that allow cancer cells to grow and would likely be needed for up to two years.
Approved in the US in November, Revuforj has not yet been licensed in the UK, meaning Melody could become the first patient in England to receive it.
Kevin said being told there were no remaining options was one of the hardest moments of their lives.
“They were saying there was nothing else they could do,” he said. “And then we managed to find this drug in America. This is our lifeline and it’s changed everything. There is hope again.”
So far, Rachel and Kevin have raised almost £50,000, but say time is critical.
Rachel added: “The horrible reality is that Melody could become very poorly at any point, so we need to order the drug as soon as possible.”
The past year has been spent largely inside hospital walls. Melody has spent more nights in hospital than she has in her own home.
“Our whole life has changed,” Rachel said. “We’ve spent the last 12 months living in a hospital. This is a position we never imagined we’d be in.”
Despite everything, they say Melody’s strength keeps them going.
“We can’t accept that this is the end, especially as there’s still a chance to help our little girl,” Kevin and Rachel said.
to help save Melody's life, her parents are calling for donations as they're in "race against time": https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-1yearold-melody-access-lifesaving-cancer-treatment