A Bristol couple are in a final desperate bid to save their four-year-old daughter Raeyah’s life after she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. Medics have told them there is nothing more they can do to treat the toddler.
Kevin Rice and his partner, Rebecca Evans from Emersons Green say they have barely slept since the diagnosis after a heart breaking journey over the past year. Their nightmare started when in December 2021, Raeyah was taken to hospital by ambulance after being ill and vomiting for a couple of days.
Her dad Kevin said a large tumour was found 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.”
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A 10-month journey of intense chemotherapy followed as Kevin said the type of cancer found was particularly aggressive. At the beginning of December las year, the family received the news tha Raeyah was all clear and had gone into remission.
They were able to look forward to a brighter future for the new year with their little girl and their two sons. But a mere few weeks later, Raeyah complained about pain in her leg and started to limp.
When they took her to the hospital, they were told it was growing pains, but as the pain did not improve, they headed back to the hospital again two weeks later. After an X-ray and full body scan, the couple were told Raeyah’s cancer was back in her hip, spine and legs.
The odds were against the little girl as Kevin said there was a less than five per cent chance of her type of cancer returning in the bones and yet it had. He said: “The doctors told us there was nothing further they could do.”
Describing Raeyah as the 'happiest, most bubbly and liveliest little girl you will ever meet', Kevin said he is optimistic they have a fighting chance to still 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. 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 that they have spent thousands of pounds on special dietary requirements for Raeyah, including special purified water and alkaline foods. Currently Raeyah is at home where Kevin said: “she has natural remedies and love and affection” and due to the pain in her bones, she stays in bed, or on the couch in the living room.
A £10,000 GoFundMe appeal has been launched by a friend of the family which states that there are treatments available to help improve her quality of life and if possible, cure the cancer she is suffering from. All funds raised will go towards travel cots, treatments and consultations.
So far the appeal has raised over £5,000 and 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."
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