A FAMILY is using their life savings to fly their seven-year-old to Mexico in a desperate bid to cure her rare brain tumour.
Scott and Yang Lau’s world was turned upside down in April last year when their six-year-old daughter Kaleigh was diagnosed with a rare inoperable brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
The rare, aggressive tumours are most commonly found in children and currently have no cure.
After several rounds of radiotherapy, last month private doctors told the Woodford Green mum and dad-of-two they could not offer Kaleigh, now seven, any further treatment.
So yesterday (April 17) Mr and Ms Lau, Kaleigh, and her five-year-old brother Carson gave up everything and flew to Monterrey, Mexico for specialist treatment called intra-arterial chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
The family is praying the treatment, which delivers chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumour without damaging healthy tissues, will be what saves her life.
The 40-year-old father said: “It was a very tough decision and there are still many risks and unknowns, but what do we have to lose?
“We’ve heard some very positive things about the centre in Mexico from other DIPG families but we can’t wait around for the statistics, we’ve just got to go.
“We brought Kaleigh into this world so we have to do everything to protect her.
“We won’t stop until we have to stop.”
Kaleigh visited Chelsea FC last week where she met defender David Luiz (Photo: Scott Lau)
The Laus have already tried to collect enough signatures to get a petition calling for more DIPG research debated in Parliament, organised fun runs to raise awareness, and got celebrity backing for their campaign.
Kaleigh, 7, with Chelsea's Diego Costa (Photo: Scott Lau)
Despite giving up their jobs, they have already spent £40,000 on private care for Kaleigh in the UK. But they are urging Guardian readers to help them with the “astronomical” costs of their trip to Mexico.
On top of the treatment itself, plane tickets and accommodation will mean the trip will cost around £300,000.
Mr Lau says he will even be prepared to pay £80,000 to commission a private air ambulance to fly Kaleigh over 8,000 miles back to the UK if her condition deteriorates while they are away.
He said: “Once we get out there we’ve got no family or friends as a support network.
“We’ve never really asked for money before, but what we’re going to need now is astronomical.
“There is so little research into DIPG that by doing this Kaleigh is pioneering a new treatment that could help other children suffering too.
“She knows she’s still got a little lump in her head, but she’s realising day by day her body is changing.
“She’s being so incredibly brave, so we just have to fight every day that comes alongside her.”
The Laus online crowdfunding campaign has already raised £120,000, but with between 10 and 15 rounds of treatment costing £21,000 each, they need all the extra help they can get.
To donate, visit the website.
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