Mum’s heart-breaking message as Beau’s treatment is postponed

Shirley announced today (April 5) that Beau had relapsed.

Beau, from Liversedge, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma in December 2020 - a rare and aggressive childhood cancer.

Her family appealed to raise £317,000 - a total which was reached on February 9 - so she could receive a clinical trial in New York that aims to stop her neuroblastoma from coming back.

However, due to Beau relapsing, the trip will now be postponed.

Beau’s mum, Shirley Hepworth, said: “When I launched this campaign on Christmas Eve, I talked about the stats associated with refractory and relapse of Neuroblastoma.

“We knew when we started this was a rocky path to recovery with an uncertain future for our children.

“Thank you to all of you, we have raised an outstanding amount of money for Solving Kids Cancer and for my little Beau to access additional therapies currently unavailable as frontline treatment.

“Unfortunately, Beau will now not be in a position to go to America just yet.

“On Friday, after a week of tests and scans with a ten day infusion remaining of her treatment I was told the devastating news that Beau had relapsed and her cancer had returned, evident in multiple sites across her gorgeous little body.

“Our aim at this time with the information that we have is to once again stabilise Beau’s disease in the kindest possible way, do all we can to eradicate it and then with hope in the future be in a position to consider maintenance therapies such as the Bivalent vaccine in Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital that will keep this horrific disease at bay.

“I cannot tell you how grateful I am for all of the hard work, dedication and love that has gone into everything that you have all done and continue to do to help raise funds for my beautiful Beau and Solving Kids Cancer.

“However unknown this next part of Beau’s journey is, we feel blessed that thanks to you we now have the financial comfort to consider all of the possible therapies for Beau to once again fight this disease.

“I continue to work with Leeds Children’s Hospital and Solving Kids Cancer to understand our options and what will give Beau the happiest life with the best possible outcomes.

“I will, as ever, keep you updated on Beau’s journey - thank you for supporting us.

“We are still celebrating the support we feel from you all and we will do this as planned at Beau’s Ball on 23rd April 23.

“We feel loved and strengthened as we move into the next stage of Beau’s journey and for that we will be forever grateful.

“We don’t know what the future holds but we will continue this fight.

“A wise tree once told me ‘Once you choose hope, anything is possible’ - we choose hope.”