THE family of a three-year-old with cancer have reached the halfway mark of a fundraising attempt for potentially 'life-saving' treatment.

On Tuesday, March 26, Freddie's Fight confirmed £125,000 out of the £250,000, had been raised in a matter of weeks.

Young cancer patient Freddie Thompson, of Ampleforth in North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, aged two, in September 2018.

Neuroblastoma, which affects about 100 children per year, is known for its aggressive nature, but a specific vaccination is thought to reduce chances of a relapse.

Since diagnosis, Freddie has undergone chemotherapy sessions, a ten-hour operation to remove his tumour, and is now just days from starting radiotherapy sessions.

Throughout this time, Freddie has had to deal with complete hair loss, frequent nausea, vomiting and bleeding skin.

But making a name for themselves since Freddie's diagnosis, Freddie's Fight, which is made up of 15 family members and friends, have been fundraising across the county for the much-needed vaccination in America.

The Thompson family – Emily, Philip, Oscar and Freddie, all live in Ampleforth but have connections with Thirsk and Kilburn, leading to members of those communities actively fundraising for the cause.

The Northern Echo:

Just weeks after the family's public appeal for the vaccination, the group raised £60,000 in donations, however this figure has since doubled.

A group spokesperson said: "This amount has been raised in just seven weeks and is the result of a community coming together to support this little boy.

"Since the beginning of February there have been over 60 events. From young children walking ten miles to a local pair climbing Kilimanjaro, a pop up shop in Thirsk and numerous coffee mornings, the support for Freddie has been completely overwhelming."

Earlier this month, a ten-year-old schoolgirl from Thirsk, completed a 12-hour sponsored silence in aid of Freddie's Fight and managed to raise more than £1,200 for the young boy.

If the full amount is successfully raised, Freddie's family said they will be able to fly Freddie to the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York.

From there, staff in New York will administer Freddie with a 'bivalent vaccination,' which the family claim will reduce Freddie's chance of a relapse from 50 percent to 10 percent.