Oscar Saxelby-Lee to travel to Singapore for treatment

Oscar is taking developments "in his stride", his mother said

A five-year-old boy with leukaemia is to go to Singapore for further treatment, which his parents hope will save his life.

Last month Oscar Saxelby-Lee, from Worcester, underwent a second stem cell treatment in a bid to beat his cancer.

But his family said tests showed it had not worked as hoped.

They will now travel to Singapore for treatment not available on the NHS, after a crowdfunding drive helped them to raise £500,000 to pay for it.

Oscar would be part of a trial of CAR-T therapy, the same treatment that Zac Oliver, from Shropshire, underwent for his leukaemia.

It is specifically developed for individual patients and involves reprogramming their immune system cells, which are then used to target their cancer.

Olivia Saxelby said the family are "petrified"

His mother, Olivia Saxelby, said if they did not take the opportunity now, he may not be able to have the treatment later.

"For Oscar there isn't much out there so we have just got to give him this chance and if it doesn't work, we might have to come back and keep trying with the old plan," she said.

"Oscar is mega-excited, he is taking it all in his stride."

He is due to fly on Sunday, and could be in Singapore for up to six months, Miss Saxelby said.

Miss Saxelby said: "We're petrified but we've got to do it."

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Oscar has been treated at Birmingham Children's Hospital for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since last December.

Hundreds of people joined the stem cell register, in a bid to find a match for his initial transplant.

Oscar Saxelby-Lee and his family are due to fly to Singapore this weekend