A mum says she has been overwhelmed by the public’s response to an appeal for money to help save her son’s life by sending him for pioneering medical treatment in America.
Ewa Sitkowska wept tears of joy as people from around the world dug deep into their pockets to raise more than £15,000 in just over two-and-a-half days so her nine-year-old son Cristiano Sousa can have treatment for a rare aggressive cancer called Embroyonal Rhabdomyosarcoma.
He has suffered from it since January 5, 2016 and will almost certainly lose the sight in his right eye as the tumour has grown in that direction.
Cristiano had been due to undergo treatment for it in Oklahoma, USA, last March but the tumour’s growth meant this was unable to happen.
More £200,000 will be needed if he is to get the full treatment lasting over a year but 43-year-old Ewa from Marsh says the public’s magnificent response has given her renewed hope of a happy outcome.
She said: “It’s been an amazing couple of days.
“Everyone is wanting to raise money for Cristiano and everyone is wanting to help with fundraising,
“What has been raised has been beyond all our expectations, I didn’t expect this.”
Doctors in the UK have said they can do all they can for the lad and can now offer only palliative care.
But Ewa and her Portugese partner Orlando Sousa, Cristiano’s father, have refused to give up and are set to travel to the Burzynski Clinic in Houston.
There he will be given an initial assessment with the possibility that he will undergo treatment called Antineoplaston therapy which has previously saved people’s lives.
His parents have been told that he would be a very good candidate for treatment.
Ewa said: ““I can start to relax a little now knowing that we have the money to fly to America for the exploratory assessment.
“My Mum Bogumila and my dad Waclaw are hoping to come over from Poland and look after my other son Oscar while we are away.
“I’m just sitting and crying.
“I just can’t believe how kind people have been, it has really touched me.
“There’s talk of non-uniform days in schools across Kirklees and people keep coming up with ideas for fundraising.
“When Orlando came home from work on Friday night and I told him about everything it was a massive shock for him.
“It has been a big relief for me the way people have responded, it has taken the pressure off.”
Cristiano is a pupil at Reinwood Junior School though he has been able to attend of late.
However, Ewa said teachers and small groups of his school friends had visited him semi-regularly to cheer him.
Anyone who wants to support the appeal should go to: https:// www.gofundme.com/cristianosousa
