Maddie Hems was just eight years old when she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in April last year. Her family has launched Maddie’s Fighting Fund to raise money to help her battle this rare form of bone cancer.
Maddie had been suffering from pain down her left arm when doctors discovered an inoperable fist-sized tumor underneath her collarbone. Her dad said : “When we got confirmation from the doctor, I knew it wasn’t great. Especially when I knew where it was from an anatomical point of view and it did turn out to be totally inoperable.”
Now aged nine, Maddie started a course of chemotherapy in May last year before the NHS funded a three-and-a-half-month trip to America for proton therapy at ProCure cancer treatment centre in Oklahoma.
The chemotherapy left Maddie vulnerable to infections, and she lost a third of her body weight during the trip after catching a serious chest and throat infection. But since they’ve been back in the UK, the family have had their first bit of positive news : an ‘unchanged’ scan. “It doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. Maddie’s type of tumor is highly aggressive and could come back anywhere and at any time. But she takes everything in her flow. She’s a fighter”, her mom said.
“With this in mind we have set up this fund to help make Maddie’s life a little easier and also support her if further treatment is needed in the UK or the United States, so that it can start immediately.”
For more information or to donate, email Maddiesfightingfund@gmail.com or follow Maddie’s Fighting Fund on Facebook.
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