A girl battling an inoperable brain tumour has been praised for bravery - and dubbed 'Jasmine the Warrior Princess'. Jasmine Freeman, seven, was diagnosed after complaining of double vision and headaches.
Her parents Anthony Freeman, 36 and Jakki Nguyen, 41, said they "felt sick" and "wept desperate tears" after being told they had such limited time with her. After three gruelling weeks of daily radiotherapy Jasmine finally 'rang the bell' this week to celebrate the end of her latest round of treatment.
Anthony and Jakki, from Bracknell in Berkshire, said: “We are so proud of how far she’s come, but the fight isn’t over yet. We have to get her ready for possible trials next and pray in the meantime that radiation has worked and can slow the growth of the tumour enough for us to get her the treatment she deserves.”
Since receiving the heart-breaking news last month the family has crowdfunded more than £120,000 in a bid to have more time with their "beautiful girl". They are raising money to pay for private care and enter Jasmine into clinical trials available abroad.
Anthony said: “The consultant stressed that children with this tumour don’t live past 12 to 18 months. We were told Jasmine would have six weeks of radiotherapy which would see her face pinned to a table with a mask, five times a week for six weeks, after which she will be made comfortable. Our world was turned upside down.
“How can you not be able to cure this type of cancer? We’ve seen advances in treatment and cures for other diseases, how is it possible that there is nothing that can save our little girl?
"This is just the first hurdle of many to come. Now it’s time for us to focus on finding the best trial for Jasmine and to make sure we have more time with her.
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"We are extremely thankful to have reached a phenomenal total on our fundraising page, the love and support from everyone has been so touching. Whilst there are no clinical trials or treatments in the UK for this kind of tumour at this time and the prognosis is extremely poor, there are a small number of clinical trials abroad.
"We are currently waiting six weeks from Jasmine’s last radiotherapy appointment and hope to start a trial after this time."
Jasmine's diagnosis of midline glioma comes as charity Brain Tumour Research announces the launce of a fourth Centre of Excellence at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in Surrey. The new centre has ambitious plans to identify new treatments for high-grade glioma brain tumours occurring in children and young adults.
Anthony added: "Six weeks ago, Jasmine was a normal child and we knew so little about the disease. To learn that it receives such little Government funding for research is shocking.
"It’s amazing that Brain Tumour Research has launched a Centre to research the disease, including the type Jasmine has. Had this happened years sooner, we may have had the opportunity to watch our little girl grow up.”
Anthony added: "Jasmine knows she is poorly and has a lump in her head. She’s been an absolute warrior since her diagnosis. After her first radiotherapy session she wanted to record a video for her YouTube channel to explain it to others.
She said: ‘It’s easier than you think, you just have a lay on the bed with a mask on, just like when you’re in a spa you have the green face mask and cucumbers over your eyes.’ No-one should have to go through this, let alone a seven-year-old child."
Professor of Childhood Brain Tumour Biology Chris Jones, who is leading the team at The Institute of Cancer Research, said: “We are delighted that Brain Tumour Research is backing our research into finding better treatments for children with brain cancer. These tumours are incredibly resistant to current treatments and children are in desperate need of new options.
"Our lab is working day in, day out to unravel the underlying biology of these dreadful tumours, and hopefully uncover new ways to attack them. This invaluable support from Brain Tumour Research will help to fuel new discoveries and pave the way to smarter, kinder treatments for children diagnosed with brain tumours.”
Dr Karen Noble, director of research, policy, and innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: "The aim is this work will lead to trials within the next five years, so we can give real hope to families in the future. The current situation means that people already facing the most distressing circumstances often have no option but to search for and fund trials abroad with all the expense, upheaval and uncertainty that brings.
"We are grateful to our loyal supporters who have made this milestone possible. But we need the Government to step up and not rely so much on investment from charities."
To learn more about the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the ICR, visit: www.braintumourresearch.org/research/centres-of-excellence. You can donate to Jasmine's fundraiser here: www.gofundme.com/f/jasmine-the-warrior-princess
