Our battle to give brave Lewis better odds in his fight for life

In October, Lewis Mighty was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer. Doctors say he has just up to a 20% chance of surviving the next two years and, in a desperate bid to increase the odds, his parents have launched a £300,000 campaign to pay for treatment in America. Catherine Oakes reports.

LEWIS Mighty wants to be a wrestler but, as the youngster sits in the garden playing with his favourite WWF figures, he is unaware that his tiny body is already fighting one if its biggest battles.

The four-year-old has neuroblastoma – a rare form of childhood cancer.

He has already undergone three months of gruelling chemotherapy and a seven-hour operation to remove the mass of tumour wrapped around the blood supply to his kidney.

But doctors were only able to get rid of 20% of the cancer and, despite more operations and treatment on the horizon, his parents, Jaime and Perry, have now been told that their youngest child has just a 10 to 20% chance of surviving the next two years.

Now the couple, of Hounslow Road, Mackworth, have decided to try to raise money needed to send Lewis to New York for treatment.

"We want to do everything we can for Lewis. We don't want to look back in years to come and think we could have done something more as we would have to live with that guilt for the rest of our lives," said Jaime.

"This is a decision that we have thought long and hard about. The treatment is available and out there and we want to give Lewis the best chance possible."

Jaime and Perry want their son to be treated at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, which provides a treatment known as immunotherapy, which works by training the body's own defence system to fight neuroblastoma.

But the treatment comes at a cost – the couple have been quoted $500,000, just over £300,000, for the treatment alone, and then would still need to find the money for flights and accommodation.

When they discovered Lewis was seriously ill, Perry took sick leave from his job as a civil engineer at GF Tomlinson Group in Derby, which has dramatically reduced the family's income.

They rent their home and, without any savings, are relying on fund-raising events and the generosity of the public to help reach their target.

Jaime, 32, added: "Lewis is four years old and is just starting out in life. He is doing OK at the moment and seems so full of life. If everyday was a constant struggle for him I would feel differently. He does have a 20% chance of surviving the next two years and who is to say Lewis is not in that 20%, but I don't want to wait and find out. We just want to do all we can.

"Our aim is to raise enough money to be able to send Lewis to America and then continue to raise cash in his name to help other kids."

Perry, 36, added: "It is frustrating that there is treatment out there that can help people like Lewis but it is all down to finance."

Lewis, who has an 11-year-old brother Morgan and 12-year-old sister Leah, was diagnosed with stage four – high risk - neuroblastoma in October last year when he was just three years old.

Soon after the family was told the devastating news, Lewis began a 90-day intensive course of chemotherapy.

Earlier this month, he underwent a seven-hour operation to remove part of the tumour and spent three days in a high dependency unit at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham. And last week he stayed at Sheffield Children's Hospital for three days so his stem cells could be harvested in preparation for another round of chemotherapy on June 29.

Despite the ongoing ordeal, Jaime and Perry remain incredibly upbeat, determined to stay positive throughout everything.

Jaime said: "If we didn't remain positive we wouldn't get out of bed every morning.

"Lewis keeps us going. He has responded to everything so well and is so full of life that you can't sit in a corner and crumble. There was one day when I had a bit of a cry, it was when we were told that the surgeons only removed about 20% of Lewis' tumour. We were hoping it would be a lot more than that so the news was a bit of a blow."

The fund-raising drive kicked off on Sunday when 10 cyclists started out on a 384-mile bike ride, partly in aid of Lewis. The team from Oodles, a Derby-based group of financial advisors that donate cash to charity every time they arrange insurance cover, set off on the challenge from Berwick upon Tweed.

They are due to arrive at Pastures Sports and Social Club, in Mickleover, tomorrow night, where an evening of fund-raising is being held.

On the same night, the band Midnight Pumpkin Trucks are playing a one-off reunion gig featuring the original line-up at the Rockhouse in Derby and proceeds from the event are being donated to Lewis.

And people from all over the world have been getting in touch with the family to pledge their support through a blog that Jaime has maintained on the social networking site, Facebook. The group now has more than 3,700 members.

Jaime added: "We have been overwhelmed with messages of support from people from all over the world and lots of people have contacted us through the site to say they are organising events in aid of Lewis. It is amazing to think that his story has touched so many people."

A spokeswoman for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York said it treated patients with neuroblastoma from all over the world. To find out more about Lewis visit www.facebook.com and search "Show you love and support for Lewis Mighty".

Lewis's family are in the process of setting up the Lewis Mighty Fund account and are waiting for confirmation of the account details.

If you are planning an event or collection in aid of Lewis Mighty contact Catherine Oakes at the Derby Telegraph on 01332 291111.