Parents of toddler with rare cancer need £30,000 by next week to continue treatment

Robin Samuels' parents would do anything to rid him of his neuroblastoma, which has brought them to Spain for specialist treatment, but costs are quickly building up, ITV London's Daniel Henry reports

The parents of a toddler with a rare and aggressive form of cancer are racing to raise enough money to prevent his specialist immunotherapy treatment from being cut off.

Robin Sammuels, 20 months old, from London, has high risk neuroblastoma, a condition that affects one in 50 children in the UK, with a 50-50 five-year survival rate.

When ITV London last spoke to the Sammuels in August, he had just undergone intensive chemotherapy and a nine-hour operation, putting his cancer at bay for the time being.

They wanted to move him onto a specialist form of immunotherapy treatment, but due to licencing laws, he would only be eligible for it on the NHS if he underwent a high dose of chemotherapy.

Given the toll this could have on Robin's body, including potential seizures, infections and secondary cancers, the Sammuels didn't think it was worth the risk given that there was no visible cancer cells in his body at the time.

This has brought them to Barcelona, where he is able to receive treatment his parents say will "give him the best possible chance at a cancer and hospital free life".

However, the five-month course at Sant Joan de Deu hospital comes at a huge cost, and tonight, they still don't have enough to give their son a chance of a better tomorrow.

In order to avoid having Robin's treatment cut off, they have to raise an additional £30,000 by October 31.

"We want more than anything for Robin to be cancer free, we want more than anything for his life to be long and healthy," Ms Sammuels said.

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