Benfleet family prepares to leave UK for cancer trial

Oscar Fairs, 14, was diagnosed with a 7cm ependymoma brain tumour and was given months to live.

But the West Ham U14s footballer was then accepted onto a £70,000 medical trial in Lille, France.

Strong - Superhero Oscar Fairs (Image: Natalie Fairs)

A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family raise £100,000 towards the treatment, care, flights and accommodation in France.

The donations now stand at over £110,000 after Arsenal player Declan Rice gave £5,000 and West Ham owner David Sullivan donated £10,000.

Oscar's mum Natalie Fairs, 41, has shared her joy at the "overwhelming" support from the public.

The emotional literacy support assistant from Benfleet, said the family could find out tomorrow if they can start treatment as soon as Tuesday.

She said: "We have just gone over our goal. It is absolutely incredible.

Brave - Oscar Fairs having treatment (Image: Natalie Fairs)

"I am overly overwhelmed. I have to keep myself strong everyday with the emotional side of what we are going through with our son.

"Every time I look at the page I am just flabbergasted. I try not to cry every time I look."

Natalie says the family will find out tomorrow when they will be leaving to start the life saving treatment - which she says could be that same day.

The surgery involves six forms of chemotherapy of which the first four are done orally and the last two are through a catheter into the brain.

Currently the family are searching for some rented accommodation in the area so that Oscar can recover in a home environment rather than a hotel room.

Natalie described the overwhelming moment she heard her son had been accepted for the surgery.

Together - Oscar Fairs with his parents in hospital (Image: Natalie Fairs)

She said: "They have accepted Oscar and we are moving out.

"When they told me I just cried my eyes out. I jumped up and hugged the lady in sheer gratefulness because if we don't do this my baby is going to die.

"Tomorrow we have a video call with our surgeon in France and he is going to tell me what day we start the surgery.

"If they say to me that they can start on Tuesday then we will be leaving tomorrow night.

"Now that we have raised the funds I am searching for a rented accommodation so that we can have our own actual home rather than a hotel.

"It is all systems go, I have suitcases packed because as soon as they tell me the date we have to go."

Oscar was diagnosed with a 7cm ependymoma brain tumour in August 2023 and has undergone over seven surgeries to remove the cancerous lumps.