Our Son Thomas’s Last Hope ❤️

Thomas is our ray of sunshine. He is 9 years old, and if you had met him a year ago, you would have seen a boy with sparkling eyes who never stayed still. He chased the ball on the football field, laughed so loudly that the whole street could hear him, and every night before bed, he wanted to tell his “joke of the day.”

My husband and I moved to the United Kingdom six years ago to give our children a safe future. We never imagined that this future would suddenly become so fragile for our youngest child.

A year ago, Thomas began to change. He said he was tired. He didn’t want to go to training. His cheeks grew paler, and soon we noticed his clothes were getting too big. Illness after illness followed, until one day the doctors spoke words no parent ever wants to hear: Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system and weakens the body’s ability to fight infections.

We fought with all our strength. The Royal Marsden Hospital — one of the best cancer treatment centers in the UK — did everything possible. Thomas underwent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, countless tests, and procedures that would be tough even for an adult. He suffered, but every time after treatment, he still managed to joke with the nurses and say, “I’m strong, aren’t I, mom?”

In December 2024, he received a stem cell transplant. When the doctors said it could be his salvation, we breathed a sigh of relief for the first time in many months. Unfortunately, hope was shattered — Thomas’s body rejected the cells.

But we cannot give up.

We were recommended Professor Olaf Witt from Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany — a clinic that is one of Europe’s leaders in pediatric oncology. The professor is ready to try again, using a different approach and methods that could give our son a real chance to live. We have already sent Thomas’s full medical history to Germany, and they are ready to accept him.

The only thing standing between Thomas and this chance is money. Treatment, accommodation, and tests will cost approximately 150,000 EUR. This is an amount our family alone can never raise.

We have already reached out to two charities for help and are waiting for a response. But our son doesn’t have time to wait — the disease does not stop, and every day counts.

Thomas often asks, “Mom, when will we go to the hospital where they will cure me?” And every time my heart breaks because I don’t know how to explain that our chance depends on the kindness of strangers.

If you can help — with a donation, by sharing this story, or with a kind word — you give us hope.

You give Thomas the chance to celebrate his next birthday, to return to the field, and to be a child, not a patient.

With all our hearts —

Thomas’s family❤️