An Australian boy will be making his way to Singapore soon to get cancer treatment after his family successfully raised S$148,000 for their ‘little Max’.
Max Robinson was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of one, and he’s been battling the disease for three years now.
Australian news outlet 9news.com said that the boy’s family was told by his doctors that the best chance for treatment is not found in Australia but is available in Singapore.
On the crowdfunding page started by Max’s godmother, Ms Nicola Johnson, it shows that there have been over 2,100 donations and that total donations have now reached AUD$166,374 (approximately S$148,030).
Ms Johnson, who is also the best friend of Max’s mother, Cara, said that Max’s cancer is proving stubborn.
She shared a little bit of Max’s family’s story, saying that she initially raised more than AUD$20,000 two years ago, which she donated toward children’s cancer research since Max’s mum had been adamant she didn’t want to accept people’s money.
While the family has had the resources to fund the young boy’s treatment so far, our goal posts have changed now and after the latest update from his specialists here in Australia, his best chance for treatment is not available here.
It requires him to go to Singapore into specialised care, Ms Johnson wrote.
She added that the treatment in Singapore alone will cost more than AUD$150,000 (S$133,500), which is sadly not government funded.
I need your help to get Max to Singapore! To get him this treatment so that he can grow up to look back on this marathon and think ‘wow I did that and so many people got behind me to get me there.’
The young boy’s treatment is set to begin in June.
Ms Johnson appeared on a radio show on Tuesday (April 9), which caused the total amount of donations to go from AUD$134,000 to over AUD$160,000.
In it, she called Max a superhero, adding, You would not look at him most days and think that he’s a sick kid because his spirit is just so high and strong.
From the age of one, the young boy has gone through chemotherapy, immunotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
So Singapore is where we believe to have the soonest availability for the type of treatment he needs, she added, saying that in the United States, the treatment would cost Max over half a million Australian dollars (S$445,000). /TISG
