Six-year-old Ivy Steel’s battle with leukaemia hinges on her Hamilton family raising $400,000 for treatment in America.
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The fundraising campaign was launched on Sunday night and by Monday morning they had already raised $30,000.
Ivy is battling leukaemia for the third time after they were given the news on October 5 that she had relapsed – 12 months to the day after a bone marrow transplant from her four-year-old brother Van. Ivy has Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL – a rare form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
With Ivy’s options for treatment running out, the family has been told a treatment only available in America is her best chance of survival.
Ivy’s dad, Craig, said clinical trials of a CAR T-cell therapy had resulted in one Australian woman now being cancer-free.
Mr Steel said a trial was run in Australia during the time Ivy was in remission, but was now complete and it may be 12 months before it is available in Australia – “way too late for Ivy”.
He said Ivy’s oncologist had already approached the government about getting the treatment to Australia for Ivy, without success.
Ivy was first diagnosed when she was two-and-a-half and is currently in Melbourne receiving treatment.
Mr Steel said Ivy was flown back to Melbourne on Friday after returning to Hamilton on Thursday following two days of treatment at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“She would have had more chemo straight in the spine and she would have had more chemo up in the oncology ward. That would have been her third lot since the relapse,” he said.
“She came home for a few hours Thursday evening and they had to go up to Hamilton Base about 1am Friday morning and they were flown out of Warrnambool in the morning back to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“The chemo’s caught up with her again.”
Mr Steel said that when the family was told about the relapse on October 5, they were given a four-week treatment plan. “They didn’t really have much of a plan after that,” he said.
The family says that if their 9500 social media followers donated $42 each they would raise the money in no time. Donations can be made to JL & CM Steel ATF Iverson. BSB: 083 663 Account: 945125101 or on Payapl via ivystyleaccessories@gmail.com
