Peterborough parents say they have 3 months to raise £300k and save son

Adamas is an inspiration to all who meet him, his parents said

The family of a seriously ill two-year-old boy said they have three months to save his life.

Robertas and his wife, Egle, both 33, live in Peterborough, with their son, Adamas, who, in 2022 was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare, aggressive and complex cancer.

Adamas has faced chemotherapy and had a kidney removed.

The family said their only hope now is a £300,000 clinical trial in Italy.

Adamas loves football and basketball and stays happy his mum said

Neuroblastoma is most common in children under five. It is treatable on the NHS, but survival rates when relapses occur are poor.

Some families turn to fundraising to pay for clinical trials in a bid to stop the cancer returning and face medical bills that dwarf the average UK house price.

Egle said: "It began in July 2022, when 14-month old Adamas was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. He faced the ordeal of chemotherapy, followed in November 2022 by a gruelling 11-hour operation to remove his left kidney which was wrapped by a sizeable tumour.

"Unfortunately, post-op routine scans showed that another tumour was growing back from the cancer cells that had been left around his main blood vessels during the surgery. So he started 2023 with high doses of chemotherapy, steam cells transplant, 12 cycles of radiotherapy, and immunotherapy."

Adamas faced an 11 hour operation to remove his left kidney

She added: "A routine scan in February 2024 showed a new 3cm growth, which again needed surgery for removal. After all the tests, we found out that there is a cancer cell modification called NYCM which can't be beaten by any more treatments that hospital have to offer.

"I thought it was the end of the world, I screamed and cried, it was the worst feeling knowing he had been through so much already. He is such an inspiration for everyone, he loves playing football and basketball and remains so happy.

"The only hope is to get Adamas on a clinical trial that takes place in Rome called CAR-T but it's not funded by the NHS and has to be paid by parents.

"The trials cost at least £300,000 which is just a crazy amount of money for any of us, but it is crucial and could help to save Adamas' life. We have turned to fundraising on social media, and have £70,000 already".

A diagnosis kicks off a chain of NHS treatments - but families face challenging odds even if the cancer goes into remission. According to charity Solving Kids' Cancer, it returns in almost 50% of cases.

If it does come back, they say, fewer than one in 10 will survive.