A British family who raised £245,000 to get vital cancer treatment in America for their dying six-year-old daughter have been caught up in New York's lockdown.
In another devastating blow for Craig and Lois Jackson and little Edie, a patient on her ward has reportedly been diagnosed with coronavirus.
The family is now stuck in the state after their flights home scheduled for next week have been cancelled.
They managed to raise the cash in a bid to extend Edie's life after she was struck down with a fast-growing Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma terminal brain tumou.
It is the deadliest form of childhood cancer with an average survival of just eight to 12 months from diagnosis - last November.
The family temporarily relocated to the States this month so Edie could undergo a Convection-Enhanced Delivery trial.
In the trial, chemotherapy is delivered directly into the tumour and to the brain to increase the effectiveness of the drug and reduce side-effects.
The Covid-19 crisis led to a delay in her treatment at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and it was even feared her trial would not be able to go ahead at all.
After gruelling surgery, Edie, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, is now "doing well".
But her parents are anxious about the ongoing coronavirus situation and are even considering trying to fund a private plane home to lower her risk of contracting it - but the fees would be huge.
Edie's aunt Emmie Adams, 33, said: “Edie is such an amazing warrior princess and has been incredibly brave throughout.
"Since arriving in the US, she has undergone gruelling surgery to fit the pump and catheter, as well as two rounds of 40-hour infusions and has just completed her final surgery to remove the pump and catheter.
“She is doing incredibly well and the doctors are generally happy with her progress.
"However, the current global health crisis, caused by the spread of Covid-19, is creating huge, additional worry for my sister Lois and the whole family. Things are becoming increasingly concerning by the day.
“At the moment it seems their choices are: potentially putting Edie’s health at risk by boarding a commercial flight, somehow trying to find the money to charter a plane or possibly stay in New York with no way of knowing how long for.
"It’s an extremely stressful situation, especially when you consider Craig and Lois are already dealing with every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Craig, 39, and Lois, 38, flew to New York with their ten-year-old son Charlie and the children's grandmothers Jean and Gill - but those three got on a flight home on Saturday.
Only one parent is allowed to stay with Edie in hospital overnight, with doctors taking measures to protect her from potentially catching the virus.
Medics have warned that Edie must be kept at least 6ft away from other plane passengers, with cancer sufferers more vulnerable to Covid-19 due to their weakened immune systems.
Emmie said: “We have received confirmation from Virgin Atlantic that the flights they were all booked to fly back on March 31 have been cancelled.
"We managed to get Charlie, Jean and Gill on to a flight home on Saturday but Lois, Craig and Edie have to stay in New York for the time being, as Edie is still recovering from her final surgery.
“Once Edie gets the all-clear from the doctors, we’ll have to try and find a new flight for the three of them.
"We’re hoping that will be early next week, if things don’t get any worse. It’s a real worry.”
Hugh Adams, head of stakeholder relations for the charity Brain Tumour Research, which is supporting the family, said: “Edie and her family are in our thoughts at this deeply unsettling time.
"The Jacksons’ situation is a truly extreme example of the way in which people are being impacted by the global health crisis and we wish them all the best and will continue to support them in any way we can, as they strive to get Edie treated and home as soon and as safely as possible.
“The fact that they have to resort to costly private treatment overseas in the first place is just not good enough and we are calling upon the Government and larger cancer charities to address the lack of funding in this crucial area of cancer research.
“Coronavirus is a huge concern for many other brain tumour patients and their families, as they face uncertainties surrounding cancer treatment and operations, with measures being put in place to try and ease pressure on the NHS.
"There are other patients, like Edie, having to self-isolate due to being immunosuppressed.
“As a relatively small but influential charity Brain Tumour Research is facing a potential 50 per cent loss to its annual income over the next three months.”
