Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Ashya King redux

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2961852/Family-two-year-old-rare-brain-tumour-say-BEG-save-life-denied-NHS-funding-life-saving-treatment.html

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2015-02-24/toddler-with-brain-tumour-given-second-chance-thanks-to-childrens-cancer-charity/

2 comments:

  1. A brave toddler who captured the attention of people throughout Wales with her cancer battle is now in school and thriving, according to her mum.

    Little Freya Bevan, who lives in Neath with mum Katherine and dad John Paul, was diagnosed with a PNET tumour last year, and underwent numerous operations and chemotherapy sessions.

    Her family had hoped she would get NHS funding for proton beam therapy in America but, following a nine-week wait, they found out that it would not happen.

    The family then set about raising funds to get Freya to America to have the lifesaving treatment they could not afford alone.

    Their efforts were noticed by media outlets across the country, including the Post, and hundreds of thousands were donated to their cause.

    Despite being some way off their target earlier this year, their prayers were answered when charity Kids n Cancer offered a lifeline in the form of proton beam treatment by Dr Andrew Chang at their ProCure proton therapy centre in Oklahoma.

    Now, five months on from the end of her ten-week treatment in America, Freya is thriving, and is now attending school in the mornings.

    Mum, Katherine, says Freya is doing very well, and that she is very happy to have things back to normal.

    She said: "She's thriving in her new school, and is really enjoying being able to do the little things that she was never able to do before the treatment.

    "Thanks to the successful treatment, she's now full of energy and life, just like any little girl her age should be.

    "She is just so well. She is full of energy, there are no signs of headaches or tiredness.

    "She is just really happy, which makes us really happy in return!"

    Katherine says she is delighted Freya is now in school, as she thought she and her family would not see the day.

    Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Toddler-Freya-Bevan-thriving-new-school/story-27968831-detail/story.html#ixzz3wajKtKMS

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  2. The father of brain cancer survivor Ashya King has described how proud he is of his little boy as the six-year-old returns to school for the first time since battling the disease.

    They planned to take him for pioneering treatment in Europe as they feared conventional radiotherapy, as advocated by Ashya’s British doctors to treat his medulloblastoma following surgery, would 'kill him or turn him into a vegetable'.

    But the couple were arrested a few days later in Spain, where they were forced to spend several nights in prison away from their son before being released.

    A High Court judge later approved the move to take Ashya to Prague for proton therapy.

    In September Ashya began spending an hour or two at school every day, but it is only now that he has been declared fit enough to return to school full time

    Mr King told the programme: 'He is doing very well. We are so proud of him.

    'There are still a few issues - he is wobbly on his legs and his speech is a bit strained but he is a fighter, he does not give up and he is prepared to try anything.'

    He added the couple found it difficult 'just a short time ago, to think he might be going to school for the majority of the day'.

    And he said: 'We expect him to make a full recovery to the boy we had before.'

    The proton therapy was not offered to Ashya on the NHS, although the health service later agreed to fund his treatment. Several new proton beam therapy centres will open in the UK from this year.

    Ashya’s grandmother Patricia King has previously described the authorities’ handling of the case as a ‘huge injustice’.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3383734/Ashya-King-s-father-tells-pride-son-returns-school.html#ixzz3wakjMXEE

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