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Little Archie had a rare and aggressive cancer

A family is in a race against time to raise more than £150,000 to ensure the survival of a four-year-old boy.

Little Archie Tzeng-Venn was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer, last year.

He’s undergone gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy but the chance of long-term survival at diagnosis was only 40% to 50%.

Archie Tzeng-Venn is still smiling after all he's been through

His parents, Kevin and Kelly Kai are determined to enrol him on a special study in America called DFMO that, although only a trial, has shown a higher survival rate for children in Archie’s position.

They are convinced it will give their son the best shot at having a healthy future – but the cost of accessing the trial is more than £150,000.

Now a special fundraising page has been launched through the Solving Kids’ Cancer UK charity to raise the cash and get him to North Carolina by October, as soon as Archie finishes his frontline treatment by the NHS here.

The family’s nightmare began last summer when the Paw Patrol crazy tot started getting lumps on his face and seemed to be getting weaker. A CT scan showed he had tumours in his skull and he was taken to John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford.

Archie Tzeng-Venn has already undergone months of treatment

There it was confirmed that he had Stage 4 neuroblastoma , a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body and affects around 100 children each year in the UK.

Most common in children under the age of five, it spreads rapidly, and Archie had other tumours above his adrenal gland, several in his abdomen and more along his lower spine. Soon his face changed shape completely. He was unable to chew and his hearing and vision were affected.

Since then he has had intense chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant an radiotherapy. This April, he started immunotherapy and this is ongoing.

"Although it does take a lot out of him, nothing can take away his smile,” said Kelly Kai.

So far the fundraising page has raised £6,263.24 towards the £154,000 target and Archie parents have thanked everyone for their support and good wishes.

You can view the page or donate here.

Milton Keynes parents in desperate race against time to raise £150K to ensure a future for their four-year-old son