An anonymous £100,000 donation helped a mother exceed her £339,000 fundraising target for treatment that could save her four-year-old son's life.
Edwina Fleming, 40, had been racing to fund CAR T-cell therapy in Rome, Italy, for her son Zach Prempeh, whose high-risk neuroblastoma relapsed after months of intensive treatment. Zach is currently receiving chemotherapy for the relapse.
Since his diagnosis, he has endured a range of treatments, including immunotherapy and a complex 12-hour operation to remove his tumour. Edwina launched the fundraiser just a week ago to get him to Rome for CAR T-cell therapy, which is not currently available to Zach through the NHS.
Target surpassed after anonymous donation
The Mirror reported on Thursday that the appeal had raised £142,900 - less than half the amount needed. Now the family say more than £378,000 has been raised, taking them beyond their target.
Edwina told the Mirror: "The moment I found out I had reached my target there were lots of tears of joy. All I could think was we have made it. The public and community, all the Arsenal family have been behind us."
The appeal received an anonymous £100,000 donation later in the week, bringing huge hope to the family. Edwina said: "When the £100,000 donation was made, I was in Great Ormond Street Hospital while my boy was having treatment. I burst into tears when I received the news, obviously they were tears of joy. I hugged my boys and held on to the hope and faith."
She added: "We have no idea who it was but we just can’t believe it. How on earth can I ever thank this person for this huge and incredible generosity?"
Next steps and family support
Edwina is now in discussions with medical teams in the UK and Rome to establish when Zach will be medically fit to begin the process. She said: "After everything we have been through, having this money secured made me think dreams really do come true. There are some incredible human beings out there, and I couldn’t thank everyone enough for their devoted support."
Both Zach and his big brother Alex-Junior, 11, know the family have reached their target. Edwina said: "Zach knows he’s going to Rome. My boys and I are very excited for the next chapter we have coming as this has given us the opportunity to potentially put Zach into remission and beat his battle with cancer."
Zach was diagnosed at about eight months old after Edwina first raised concerns about his symptoms. Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that develops from immature nerve cells, mostly affecting children under five. Around 100 children are diagnosed with it in the UK each year.
Arsenal support and tributes
Despite all the intense past months, the little Arsenal fan Zach enjoyed a day to remember on Saturday, October 24, when the club invited him and Alex to watch their match against Everton. The invitation came after he was too unwell to meet the players during their visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital. The team also backed the family's fundraising appeal and donated a signed first-team shirt for auction.
His fundraising appeal is run by Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, and Edwina paid tribute to the organisations that have supported the family. She said: "I just want to say a massive thank you to Joseph’s Smile, Solving Kids Cancer and The Azaylia Foundation for all their hard work and support with Zach’s campaign. It just shows that when we come together, teamwork makes the dream work."
