Kentish Gazette launches new campaign to help Canterbury toddler Stella Rogers' fight for life
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Two-year-old Stella
Rogers and her mum Allison Hyde pictured at their Glen Iris Close
home in Canterbury. Picture: Barry Goodwin.
by Sian Napier
The Kentish Gazette have launched a
new campaign for 2010 to help a Canterbury toddler and
her family battle a rare form of cancer.
Two-year-old Stella Rogers was diagnosed with neuroblastoma
in June. She has already undergone 70 days of aggressive
chemotherapy, major surgery to remove a tumour the size of
a large yoghurt pot, liver infections, stem cell treatment and
six months of oral chemotherapy.
In January she will start a
three-week course of radiotherapy.
But, despite amazing her family and
medical staff with the way she has battled through this gruelling
regime, Stella is still not out of the woods. In spite of having
the most up-to-date care available in the UK, she has a bleak
future ahead, with her chances of long-term survival low.
However, an expensive antibody
therapy, costing upwards of £250,000, could increase her chances of
survival significantly. With this treatment, antibodies are
injected into the bloodstream and travel around the body attaching
to any cancer cells that they find, attacking and killing them.
But the treatment is available only
in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Stella’s mother Allison Hyde and father John Rogers
are hoping kind and generous people will help them raise the money
to give their daughter the best chance of life.
For it to be really effective it needs to be started by February
10, 100 days after Stella received her stem cell treatment.
“This is not a crackpot American
treatment but standard therapy in the USA, Canada and Australia for
children with Stella’s form of cancer, neuroblastoma,” said her
mother, who was an A&E nurse at Kent and Canterbury Hospital
for many years.
“We have sold my grandmother’s
jewellery and everything else that we can to try to raise the
money, but with February 10 fast approaching we have no choice but
to appeal to people we don’t even know for help, and that is not
easy.
“But we are in a desperate
situation now, with our child’s life totally dependent on other
people.”
Miss Hyde and Mr Rogers, who live
in Glen Iris Close, Canterbury, also have another daughter, Zoe,
who is four. They say the stress of Stella’s illness and prolonged
spells in hospital has put pressure on them all.
Miss Hyde said: “The treatment
Stella has received so far at the Marsden has been absolutely
fantastic but if she is to have the best chance of surviving she
needs to go to America.
“She is lucky to have survived so
far, so she really is a little fighter.
“Just 10 years ago every child with
this cancer would die, but that’s not the case now. But Stella
needs this American treatment to have the best chance of survival
and we will do anything to keep her alive.”
Stella’s parents have set up a
website at www.forstella.org, where
people can find out more about her and her form of cancer and
donate to the appeal for her treatment.
A charity called the 2Simple Trust
is also supporting the family and handling the money for her
appeal.
If the money is not used for Stella
it will go to other children who need it.
Cheques, made payable to the
2Simple Trust – Stella Rogers Appeal may be sent to the trust at
3-4 Sentinel Square, Brent Street, London NW4 2EL.
Other ways of donating to the
appeal may be found on the website.
Read more reaction in this
week's Kentish Gazette, out New Year's Eve.
Wednesday, December 30 2009
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