Family of five-year-old cancer sufferer Josh McCormack in desperate race to raise £200,000 for treatment

Josh McCormack

The heartbroken family of five-year-old Josh McCormack are urgently hoping to raise £200,000 pounds after receiving the devastating news that Josh’s brain tumour is terminal.

His family are hoping that Josh can receive immunotherapy treatment in an overseas clinical trial at the University of Florida.

The pioneering treatment would give Josh the only chance of a cure, or to at least reduce his symptoms and prolong his life. The trial is funded by a grant, but the drugs will cost $369,000 American dollars.

This would usually be covered under insurance, however, patients from overseas are required to fund these costs themselves.

Immunotherapy treatment is not available on the NHS, which currently only offers steroids to relieve symptoms without extending a patient’s life.

Josh’s mother, Nicola McCormack, discovered the treatment through a group for brain tumour sufferers and their families.

Nicola said: “We were warned this would happen, but he has been doing amazingly. We didn’t think it would be so soon after treatment.

“Josh went back to school last week on Monday (19 September); he was so happy and loving life. He woke up on Friday morning with reoccurring symptoms and he has deteriorated since.”

Josh, from Rochdale, was diagnosed with an inoperable malignant brain tumour in his brainstem in October 2015. A biopsy later revealed he was suffering from a rare primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET). Only 66 people in the world have been diagnosed with PNET.

On 10 November last year, Josh was given odds of fifty-fifty of surviving surgery. Nicola was warned Josh might have facial paralysis and a permanent tracheotomy to help with his breathing.

After eight hours of surgery, Josh had pulled through.

Nicola said: “With tears in my eyes, I held his hand and kissed his forehead, hoping he might just recognise my touch, my kiss, my voice.”

Josh looked up at his mum and said: “That naughty man has hurt my head, Mummy, beat him up.”

He learned to walk again after a couple of weeks of physiotherapy and no longer required a wheelchair in the ward. Josh had no facial paralysis and did not require any breathing assistance.

As the tumour was not completely removed, his parents were told that he would need 31 days of radiotherapy to his whole brain and his spine, followed by four high doses of chemotherapy and stem cell rescue.

During treatment, Josh experienced kidney damage and hearing and vision loss. His spine and skull will remain underdeveloped and he has been left with learning disabilities. He has also received blood and platelet transfusions.

Josh’s treatment was abandoned after he was induced into a coma following a fungal lung infection. He was receiving his third round of chemotherapy.

To donate, visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/3wvrgubg