We need to raise over £300,000 to help our boy get the cancer treatment he needs
The family of a four year old with a rare form of cancer are pleading with the public to help support fundraising efforts for his treatment.
After two years of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, the family of Benny thought their child was free from the disease, only for it to return in September this year.
They have now set up fundraising efforts to try and get Benny the support he needs.
The urgent care is available in Rome, with the funds used to help get Benny to Italy.
This will be the second time Benny will fight neuroblastoma. In February 2023, shortly after his second birthday and just a few weeks after his baby sister Zara was born, his parents Nicola and Daniel received devastating news of the initial diagnosis.
Before his diagnosis, Benny had slowly begun to lose his appetite and significant weight. He became unsettled at night and was frequently unwell with viral infections.
When he developed a limp and became unable to walk, his parents took him to A&E. Tests revealed a large tumour in his abdomen and evidence that the disease had already spread to his bone marrow, lymph nodes and several other areas of his body.
Benny immediately began a programme of intensive treatment that continued for two years.
In March 2025, Benny finally completed his frontline treatment and began taking DFMO, a drug used to help prevent relapse.
“In our eyes he was thriving” say Benny’s parents, Nicola and Daniel. “His strength had been improving; he’d been putting on weight and enjoying spending time with friends.
“He started school in September and loves it, especially on Wednesdays when they do PE.”
Benny loves football and wants to play for his favourite team, Newcastle United, when he grows up.
Shortly after starting school, a routine MIBG scan revealed an irregularity in his lung.
“We were all hoping it was just shadowing or something from an infection but the results came back that the Neuroblastoma had returned” explains Benny’s aunt, Laura.
She adds: “Because it’s relapsed neuroblastoma it’s not just the same kind of treatment.
“This is where the Rome treatment has come from.”
Benny is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the UK to keep the neuroblastoma at bay before treatment can ramp up.
The fundraising page, which started at the end of November, has already raised over £24,500 of the £393,000 required for the treatment.
“The most promising curable treatment is in Rome” adds Laura.
“The support is really overwhelming. It’s been really touching to know that so many people are willing to support us and help us get through this journey.
“I don’t think there are any words which can describe how grateful we are as a family.”
The fundraising page is accepting donations through this link.