A teenager diagnosed with a rare form of cancer has received some positive news after a GoFundMe page launched for him surpassed its €20,000 target.
Brave Nathan Dowling, from Dublin, has gone through 12 gruelling cycles of chemotherapy and 31 rounds of radiation in just one year after being told he had Ewing's Sarcoma in 2019 at the age of 17.
Ewing's Sarcoma is a rare but aggressive type of cancer that forms in the bone or soft tissue.
It is more prominent in children and young people aged 10-20 and is most common in males.
Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumour, fever, and a bone fracture and is most likely to begin in the legs, pelvis and chest wall.
As well as the high cost of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery to deal with Nathan’s cancer, the overall treatment is complicated but thankfully some good news is emerging in his fight against the cruel cancer, Dublin Live reports.
A GoFundMe set up for him at the end of March has already exceeded its target in less than one month.
Nathan’s family thanked everyone who donated adding that they know everyone is struggling at the moment.
They said: “We managed to get a clean scan in December but unfortunately the cancer has come back to two new places.
“Nathan will start new chemotherapy again as this is the only option available here in Ireland.
“Because Ewing Sarcoma is so rare and has a very high chance of recurring there is not a lot known about it here, we have no sarcoma specialist in the whole of Ireland.
“Nathan has a great team of doctors who do their best and we are so grateful for the hard work and dedication.
“However there are other options that have shown a great response abroad, these are not funded here.
“Immunotherapy is one option. We are in the process of having some tests done which we need to pay privately for - these tests will check the best treatment available for Nathan’s cancer.
“They’ve also sent the files to a specialist hospital in Boston in the hope Nathan will be a candidate for any trials available.”
If you would like to donate to Nathan or find out more about the GoFundMe, you can find the link here.
