Let's Back Zac – Brave Broseley youngster jets to America for treatment
Brave Broseley four-year-old Zac Oliver has started his trip to America for life-saving treatment.
The youngster and his family have jetted off to Philadelphia, where he will receive the specialist CAR-T therapy needed for Near Haploid, his rare form of childhood leukaemia.
It's the end of a long and hard road for Zac and his family, who had the almost impossible task of raising £500,000 in only a few months.
But the Shropshire community came together to support them, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds through sponsored events, donations and a dress red for Zac day.
Along the way he has been backed by superstar guitarist Mark Knopfler, X-Factor's Simon Cowell and a mystery donor who gave the final £100,000.
But the bulk of the money came from people in and around Shropshire, who
Money is still being given to the cause, with plans to set up a trust in Zac's name to research Near Haploid and help support other families suffering with the rare condition.
How you can continue to help:
Anyone who wants to support the fundraising campaign should visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/zac-oliver
People can also join Zac's Facebook support page which is called 'Zachariah's's fight against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia'.
People can also donate using their mobile phone by texting ZACH75 £1 to 70070.
Zac’s father, Mark Garbett, said he was relieved the moment had arrived to finally fly their son for treatment.
He said: "Zac’s excited about flying because he knows going to America is hopefully how he is going to be able to get better.
"We just want to thank everybody once again for their support, both financial and emotional.
"It is heart-warming how Zac’s plight has caught people’s attention."
Treatment
The CAR-T therapy was paid for last month and the family had received the visas needed to get them to America, but Zac has been recovering from an infection which prevented him from travelling earlier.
The rest of the family will be travelling separately, depending on when visas are issued.
The treatment uses cells from Zac's own immune system to help fight the cancer.
The cells are genetically engineered to recognise the specific protein on tumour cells, killing the cancer in the body.
The treatment is not currently available on the NHS, but is having huge success in America.
Although the initial online £500,000 target has been reached, family and friends are continuing to raise funds to cover other medical expenses and eight return trips to the US for follow-up appointments, accommodation for each bone marrow biopsy, day and night feeds, and out-patient medication.
Any additional funds not needed will be specifically used for research into childhood cancer or used to provide treatment for other children in a similar situation to the youngster.
