Bristol parents' desperate search for treatment as toddler diagnosed with incurable cancer

A couple from Bristol are desperately trying to fund cancer treatment for their toddler, after she was diagnosed with the disease for a second time.

Raeyah, 4, was taken to hospital after being ill and vomiting for a couple of days in December 2021.

Her father, Kevin, said doctors found a large tumour on the toddler's left kidney as well as a spot of cancer on her left lung.

He said: "In February they removed her kidney and then she had a 12-hour operation on her lung and that removed all the cancer.”

A 10-month journey of intense chemotherapy then followed, as Kevin said the type of cancer found was particularly aggressive.

In December, the family received the news that Raeyah was clear and had gone into remission.

They were all able to look forward to a brighter future, but a few weeks later, Raeyah complained about pain in her leg and started to limp.

When they took her to the hospital, Raeyah's parents were told it was growing pains. But when the pain did not improve, they took her back to the hospital.

After an X-ray and full body scan, the couple were told Raeyah’s cancer was back in her hip, spine and legs.

'The doctors told us there was nothing further they could do'

Kevin said they had been told there was less than 5% of Raeyah's cancer returning, but it had.

He said: "The doctors told us there was nothing further they could do.”

He described Raeyah as the "happiest, most bubbly and liveliest little girl you could ever meet."

Kevin said he and Rebecca are optimistic they still have a fighting chance to find a successful treatment.

He said he has been researching treatments across the world and has been in touch with a woman in America.

“Not a minute goes by every day that I’m not trying to find a treatment for Raeyah", he said.

"I’m all out of tears for the moment. I’ve not slept in my bed for a week.

“We are parents who are spending every minute of every day looking for a treatment which will work for her. We are fighting for our daughter’s life. There’s no stone I’ll leave unturned,” he said.

He added they have spent thousands of pounds on special dietary requirements for Raeyah, including special purified water and alkaline foods.

Currently Raeyah is at home and Kevin said she has "natural remedies and love and affection”.

Due to the pain in her bones, she stays in bed, or on the couch in the living room.A friend of the family has set up a fundraising page for travel costs, treatments and consultations.

Kevin said: “The appeal has taken off a lot better than we expected. Everybody has been sharing it on social media and it has even reached the US and Australia."