Harry Sammut was just nine years old when he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Now, Harry and his family from Stanhope Gardens in Sydney’s northwest, are desperately reaching out to their community for help in accessing a potentially lifesaving rare cancer treatment in the United States.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Harry complained of a stomach ache. A year later he needs lifesaving new treatment.
Harry’s mother Julia Sammut said he was diagnosed in 2022 with high-risk neuroblastoma — a childhood cancer affecting the nervous system and usually found in children under five years old.
The first sign something was not quite right, Julia says, was when Harry began to complain of stomach pains, and no longer wanted to play sports.
“As soon as his blood test results came back, his GP called and said Harry needed to go straight to hospital,” she told 7NEWS.
“His whole life was turned upside down.”
Since then, Harry has been through endless rounds of treatments, with little improvement to his condition.
However, the family have been told Harry is eligible for a clinical trial not available in Australia, that could save the boy’s life.
The trial, based in the US, includes a drug, called DFMO.
However, the cost of the treatment and travel is expected to exceed $130,000.
“If that’s what we have to do to keep Harry alive — then that’s what we do — anyone would do that as a parent,” Mattew Sammut, Harry’s father, told 7NEWS.
“We’re just trying to get him to be a kid again, that’s all we want him to do,” Julia added.
Christine Cockburn from Rare Cancers Australia told 7NEWS the trial is showing “great promise” for children with high-risk neuroblastoma.
“But, it’s out of reach, both geographically and financially,” she said.
Julia added, their family feels as though they are “running out of options”.
“We’re pleading with the community to please help us get to the US and try to save our son,” Julia said.
A fundraiser on the Rare Cancers Australia page has been organised to help the family.