The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Deeping St Nicholas seven-year-old Kieran Taylor has returned from the USA with his family following specialist cancer treatment.
Kieran, who had a brain tumour removed last year, had proton beam therapy for several weeks in Jacksonville, Florida. The family raised a total of £12,000, thanks to generous people in the
South Holland area, to help fund the cost of staying in America for 10 weeks.
The NHS-sponsored therapy, currently not available in Britain, deals with types of cancer in critical areas when it is important to reduce damage to surrounding tissue as much as possible.
Kieran was accompanied by his family, parents Karen and Steve plus sister Caitlin, nine.
He had daily half hour treatments from Monday to Friday for six weeks at the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute.
Mum Karen said Kieran, a pupil at St John the Baptist Primary School, Spalding, had lots of appointments in America to make sure everything was in order.
She said the treatment had gone well.
“He suffered no side effects apart from tiredness. We were expecting things like hair loss and sight loss, but so far, so good.
“Kieran had to lay still on a table and go into a machine that looks like an MRI scanner,” she said.
“He had to wear a mask moulded to the shape of his face.
“This made sure that the proton beam hit the exact spot that needs treating.”
Through the good offices of charity Compasionate Partners, the family were able to gain free entry to top Florida attractions, including Disneyland, Dinoland and Universal Studios, during their weekend breaks.
Kieran will need check-ups soon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, to see how he is progressing. It is hoped he will be able to go back to school full-time in September.
As featured in previous issues of The Voice, the family started a community fundraising appeal for financial support earlier this year before they left Britain. It raised some £12,000, £2,000 more than its original target.
Spalding and District Round Table donated £2,500, while a table top sale at Spalding Grammar School in April raised £540.
A giving tree organised by Keiran’s school brought in £2,430. Other donors included: Spalding Lions, £500; Holbeach charity shop Chosen, £500; Spalding Cycling Club, £200; Keiran’s former day nursery Puddleducks, £165; Baytree Garden Centre, £150, while a fashion show at St John’s school raised a total of £500. A cake baked at Iced in Spalding was raffled off, and £400 raised.
Businesses which helped boost the fund included Molsom and Associates opticians in Hall Place, Spalding, which raised £92 from a collecting tin at their premises.
This money was a lifeline for the family during their time in the USA.
“It certainly made life easier for us, as Steve and I weren’t being paid while were there,” said Karen. “It eased the burden.”
Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that uses protons rather than traditional X-rays. It targets tumours and cancer cells more precisely and causes less damage to surrounding tissue.
The family are pictured with Dr Danny Indelicato, of the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute, Jacksonville.
