Ashley Hyde Appeal

Ashley is a very happy and cheeky little boy. At the age of just 5 years he was diagnosed with stage 4 mycn amplified neuroblastoma on the 9th June 2008.

Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer. The disease is caused by abnormal neuroblasts or nerve cells which are special cells present in babies and children that help create the adult nervous system.

Tumours originate from the sympathetic nervous system, which runs from the neck to the tailbone and can spread to other organs, bones and the bone marrow. If the cancer is diagnosed early, surgery and chemotherapy can be curative, but in 70% of cases the disease is not diagnosed until it has already widely spread, unfortunately this was the situation with Ashleys case.

Upon diagnosis Ashley had a 12- 10 - 8 cm tumour above his left kidney and wide spread disease to the bone marrow in both legs, hips, shoulders and 1 arm.

Ashleys little body started an incredibly hard battle to rid the neuroblastoma in it, Ashley under went 70 days of chemotherapy called RAPID COJEC a mixture of Vincristine, Carboplatin, Etoposide, Cisplatin and Cyclophosphamide. The neuroblastoma did respond, halving the size of the mass and clearing 95% of the bone marrow, but unfortunately there were still 4 small hot spots that were visible on scans.

Ashley then went on the have 4 rounds of a harsher mix of chemotherapy called TVD (Topotecane, Vincristine and Doxorubicin). This helped clear some of the secondary cancers that were in wide spread areas. Ashley then underwent a complex operation to remove the remaining tumor, a stem cell harvest, high dose chemotherapy Busulfan and melphalan at dangerously high levels which in it self was life threatening. This made Ashley very ill and wiped out any immunity that was still clinging on. His immunity could now take years to recover to the same as that of the average child.

After high dose Ashley had 14 rounds of radiation to the abdomen area, he then went on to start a six month course of differentiation therapy this is used to turn immature neuroblastoma cells, into mature cells that die. There is strong evidence that this is more effective when given in conjunction with immunotherapy, but unfortunately this treatment was NOT available in the UK at the time Ashley needed it.

The Ashley Hyde appeal was started originally to raise funds to take Ashley to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York who specialize in treating neuroblastoma.

We were fundraising for Ashley to have a treatment called 3f8 antibodies (Immunotherapy) .

Immunotherapy is used after tumors have been surgically removed, when the patient has only minimal disease left (in the bone marrow, for example). This treatment is designed to train the body's own immune system to detect and destroy neuroblastoma cells that have survived chemotherapy or radiation therapy, with this treatment survival rates are greatly improved and the relapse rate is much less.

The problem is that there is a cut off date with every antibody treatment (usually about 100 days) because after that period the childs own immune system has recovered to the extent that when the antibody treatment is infused, the immune system mops up the treatment before it gets near any cancer cells.

Sadly we simply ran out of time and had insufficient funds so couldnt take Ashley to America for the much needed antibodies that could have drastically increased his survival rate.

Devastatingly on the 22nd December 2009 just before Christmas and Ashleys 7th birthday we were told that a routine 6 month check up has revealed that Ashley has relapased, despite all the treatment he has already gone through.

The routine scan showed Ashley has a 1 - 2 cm leision to the brain and the neuroblastoma has re-established and infected the bone marrow.

There are no words to describe how sad and worrying this is, Currently there is NO viable proven treatment or protocol in the UK for a relapse.The doctors in the UK can only do there best with the treatments and facilities that they have.Our best hope for Ashley now is to seek alternative treatment protocols in America.

Please, please help support Ashley in what will be the hardest battle of his life.

www.ashleyhydeappeal.org.uk
www.justgiving.com/ashleyhydeappeal1

...Every penny raised brings us closer to our target and closer to Ashley getting the life-saving treatment he needs and quite frankly deserves!!

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• neuroblastoma
• cancer
• appeal
• ashley
• hyde
• support

[EvaAndBentley]

Aweh keep up with the battle and dont let the littlest of troubles let you lay your armor down!:) keep fighting the fight till u win!:)

[Lauraa541]

keep up the fight ashley

your so sweet!!

hope u get better!!!

your a stronge lttle boy.. keep fighting!!

loads of love to the family

keep your support up ppl

and donate as much a u can so he can make it to america

xxxx

[cejones1976]

What a beautiful brave little boy. Fight little Ashley, fight.

Sending you loads of love, prayers, strength and hope. xxxxx

Please support the Ashley Hyde Appeal.