Time is standing still for the parents of three-year-old cancer patient Leah Xuereb who, despite “scary test results”, has not yet been given the go-ahead by London doctors to fly out to the US for life-saving treatment.
On Monday, her mother Zhana Xuereb said Leah’s cancer was tripling every week and if she was not flown out to a specialised Texas hospital quickly, she would not be eligible for treatment.
Tests carried out on Leah yesterday showed she was getting worse, according to her 33-year-old mother.
Ms Xuereb said she was “really worried about the scary test results” after a tumour marker had registered an increase.
“The urgency is scary, but we understand everyone’s doing their best,” Ms Xuereb said, adding that the family had not been able to sleep throughout the night.
Leah’s €245,000 treatment, sponsored by the Maltese Government, is due to be administered at the Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas. No other hospital in the world can provide the combination of localised chemotherapy and surgery that the little girl needs.
The mother said although this procedure was usually carried out on adults, it had been successful on two-year-olds in the US and the family was very hopeful.
“Most of the cases are successful, so we have high hopes.”
Until yesterday, the treatment plan was still being finalised by the centre and the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Leah is currently being treated.
The little girl’s story went viral on Tuesday after The Times carried a report about an online fund-raising campaign, through UK charity Kidsncancer, to raise the €245,000 needed for the treatment.
The initial €11,000 soon became €70,000 and that evening, the Health Ministry said the family’s application for sponsorship had been accepted.
Leah was healthy until she turned two. The little girl’s diagnosis changed several times over the past 15 months, until it was established that she had a yolk-sac tumour.
But despite the high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant she received in London, her disease is progressing very fast.
At Great Ormond, Leah received 11 courses of chemotherapy. And every time, the girl came out smiling, according to her mum, who found strength in her daughter’s “fighter character”.