Forum topic: Raising money to treat a seriously sick toddler

A Palmers Green family is trying to raise £362,000 to pay for an operation for their daughter, who has a rare form of cancer.

The family have three children: a five-year old and 22-month old twins.  One twin is deaf and has other serious disabilities.

The other twin, Daya, is a fun-loving, cheeky, strong and resilient.  But when she was just eleven months old, Daya was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, after a huge mass was discovered in her abdomen. Further tests confirmed that the cancer had spread quickly to her lymphatic system and bones.

After eight rounds of chemotherapy and countless nights in hospital with complications and infections in between rounds, Daya’s parents were told that the main tumour was inoperable due to its highly dangerous position.

It meant Daya went through a ninth round of high-dose chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. One of the most challenging phases in her treatment schedule, Daya was confined to an isolation room at hospital for six weeks.

She’s already been battling cancer for over half her little life and has spent the majority of this time away from her family.

Daya’s mum, Pamela, says: “Watching your child suffer through round after round of chemotherapy and its awful side effects is excruciating and any parent’s worst nightmare.”

Despite such intensive treatment, survival rates for young people with high-risk neuroblastoma are around 40%. If a child relapses, this rate reduces even further to less than a 1 in 10 chance of surviving five years.

Daya’s fundraising campaign

As Daya’s family know, neuroblastoma is an aggressive and complex cancer to treat. In May 2018, doctors advised that Daya’s primary tumour is inoperable. The family are now raising £362,000 for surgery in New York to remove the remaining neuroblastoma tumour. The operation at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is being performed by a world-leading surgeon and will give her the best chance of beating the disease. Please help give Daya hope.  The family wants to help as many other children as possible; if Daya does not use the funds for treatment, all money raised will go to Solving Kids’ Cancer and their charitable work in funding research and supporting other families against neuroblastoma.

How you can help

There are many ways you can help Daya: by making a personal donation; holding a fundraising event; getting sponsored to take on a challenge; or simply following and sharing Daya’s story through her Facebook page, Twitter profile, Instagram page or on Pamela’s blog.

Download our free Daya resources (below) to support your fundraising, and click here for even more resources, including fundraising ideas, templates and guidance.

Sponsorship Form

Campaign Poster

Event Poster Template

You can make a donation  by visiting mythreelittlebears.wordpress.com/about-daya/, or if you’d prefer to text donate, text DYAM55 and your amount £1 – £10 to 70070. If you’d like help supporting Daya’s campaign, please get in touch with the fundraising team on 020 7284 0800 and .