Little Aussie girl with inoperable brain tumour on lifesaving mission
A four-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumour has touched down in Mexico after a GoFundMe campaign raised $250,000 for her family to give her another chance at life.
The experimental treatment that little Annabelle Potts will undergo is not available in Australia.
Annabelle was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive form of brain tumour that surgeons have deemed too risky to remove.
The family have decided to move to Mexico for specialist treatment costing $25,000 per session.
Annabelle's parents Kathie and Adam Griffiths, from Canberra, made the decision after doctors in the UK said the removal of the tumour was too dangerous.
After raising more than $237,000 via GoFundMe, Annabelle has had her first treatment.
"She is very tired, very sore and very thirsty," her mother wrote on her GoFundMe page.
"Thank you all so much for helping Annabelle get to Mexico, we have come a long way but we still have a long way to go."
The experimental treatments, conducted in the city of Monterey, combine intra-arterial chemotherapy with a form of immunotherapy.
The Sydney-based doctors who first diagnosed Annabelle gave her nine months to live.
"I was absolutely gutted," Kathie Griffiths said.
"I was in shock for about two weeks.
"I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't do anything. All I had, and all I still have, is hope."
Annabelle underwent radiotherapy treatment in Australia which barely affected the size of the tumour.
Her parents are hoping the radical new trial in Mexico will extend their daughter's life thanks to the generosity of friends and strangers who have donated to her campaign.
