Meet Rufus

Meet Rufus – an 11-year-old boy with an infectious love for life. His favourite place in the world is the beach, especially in the summer. He loves nothing more than swimming in the sea, jumping off the jetty, and playing football in the park with his friends and his little brother, Noah.

His journey with leukaemia has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. Rufus was first diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in 2017, at just 3 years old. He bravely endured 3.5 years of chemotherapy and, in 2021, was finally clear.

Tragically, 18 months later, he relapsed.

In 2022, Rufus received a bone marrow transplant. Despite severe complications like PRES and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, he fought back. For the next 3.5 years, Rufus worked incredibly hard to get back to school and thrive. He did it. He was enjoying life, and just this June, the family took a "wish trip" to Disneyland Paris to celebrate how far he had come.

A Devastating Turn

Towards the end of this summer, his mum, Rosie, noticed two enlarged lymph nodes on his neck and jaw. A few weeks later, his left eye began to swell. An emergency MRI scan confirmed their worst fears: the leukaemia had returned.

This time, Rufus has relapsed in his cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and with extra medullary disease (which is when leukaemia clumps to form a sticky mass) in his orbit (around his eye).

The Next Fight: CAR-T Therapy

Rufus's last treatment option on the NHS is a groundbreaking one: CAR-T cell therapy, which will take place at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London.

The long and difficult journey starts now. Rufus is already undergoing chemotherapy to prepare for his T-cell collection at GOSH in early November. After that, he will need continuous "bridging chemotherapy" to keep the disease at bay until his newly engineered T-cells are ready to be re-infused in the new year. The family have been told this will involve an inpatient stay of 2-3 weeks for the CAR-T infusion, followed by staying close to the hospital for another week, until his first bone marrow biopsy on day 28.

Why We Need Your Help

This treatment requires Rufus's parents, Rosie and Tom, to be by his side in London, far from their home in Aberystwyth, West Wales.

This distance and the required admissions are incredibly difficult. The family's main priority is to stay together, not just for Rufus, but for his 8-year-old brother, Noah, who was deeply traumatised by the family separation during Rufus's transplant at the time of his BMT, which was heavily restricted due to COVID regulations. They are determined to keep Noah with them as much as possible, but they are not yet sure if they will get any assistance with suitable accommodation.

To be the full-time carers, parents, and emotional support Rufus and Noah need, their lives have been turned upside down. Rosie has had to stop working to be Rufus's primary carer between all the intensive treatments and trips to Cardiff and London. The financial burden is immense.

Your support will give them the most precious gift: the ability to focus 100% on their children. It will help cover the staggering costs of accommodation and daily living, and ensure their family can face this fight together. Money raised will also help to ensure a memorable Christmas for the boys and give the family more opportunities to make memories together.

Thank you for being part of Rufus's journey.