Hello everyone,

This is a plea to raise money for a deeply sad situation that no one would ever want to find themselves in.

I am looking to raise as much money as we can for Louis and his mum and dad, Aurelie and Miguel.

Louis is 5 years old. He and Marcie, my 5 year old daughter, have grown up together. Louis’ mum, Aurelie and I met living next door to each other, having both moved to Leeds from London and both with small babies we quickly became close friends. Looking after each others children, drinking lots of coffee together and sharing the trials, tribulations and joy of being first time mums.

Two days before Christmas everything turned upside down for Louis, Aurelie and Miguel.

After a sudden hand paralysis Louis was taken to hospital and following an MRI it was discovered Louis had a tumor on the brain. A biopsy confirmed it was one of the most aggressive forms of pediatric cancer, a highly aggressive stage 4 incurable cancer called Diffuse Infiltrating Glioma of the Brainstem (GIBG) . Prognosis is poor and the median survival rate is 9-12 months.

Since then Louis has been fighting everyday. He has braved 6 weeks of radiotherapy to help alleviate his symptoms as the tumor impacts his motor functions. His symptoms have improved a little as the radiotherapy helps to release some pressure on the brain, however they will come back and then he will continue to decline. When and how quickly is unknown, although sadly it is inevitable. But, it’s during this stage of him feeling a little bit better that I want to do everything I can to quickly raise some money so that Louis can have some moments of joy and the family can make some precious memories together.

Without wanting to sound like a cliche, you genuinely couldn’t wish to know a more gorgeous, sweet hearted, loving, funny, giggly, kind little boy. I adore him, Marcie does too and Louis adores Marcie. A few months ago Marcie lost her necklace when they were playing in the woods. Louis came to our house this weekend with a new necklace for Marcie to replace the one she’d lost, he hadn’t forgotten and he wanted to make her happy. Bless him. He’s always thinking of others. He is so brave, the life he knows is changing all around him, he’s no longer at school, his hand has stopped working, he wobbles when he walks, he takes numerous medicines but with his blissful child’s naivety his is taking it all in his stride. He said, “mum, I’m not sure that my arm will ever work properly again”, that’s the most he really understands.

For Aurelie and Miguel life has to carry on. They put their lives on hold to care for him daily. It’s exhausting. Daily hospital visits, coping with the diagnosis plus paying the mortgage and bills. Finances are tight. Both their families live abroad so they have no family support here and obviously there’s the cost of flights and accommodation even if family could visit.

As a friend there’s little I can do to help but if I can help with the finances then they have one less thing to worry about. Through this go fund me I want to ensure that the family don’t need to worry about money. Having to go back to work is on their minds and it shouldn’t be. The family needs to be together without the added stress of money worries. Aurelie and Miguel need the opportunity to focus on what really matters, to surround Louis with love and comfort.

We need to raise money for days out, special trips away, day to day living costs, to keep the car going, to keep the house warm, super duper superman costumes, chocolate ice cream sundaes…whatever is needed, anything really to give them security, joy , fun and memories together.

If you can donate anything then please, please do. Times are hard for everyone, I understand this, so please just give what you can. Let’s spread this appeal far and wide. If 1000 people could all give £1 then we are well on our way! I’ve spent 25 years working in the film industry, surely I have some friends, colleagues, acquaintances along the way who can share this appeal to reach those with the big bucks! If you can’t give financially but you can give in other ways then please reach out. Share and send love.

Thank you for reading. Than you for your support.

”Diffuse Infiltrating Glioma of the Brainstem (DIBG) is a rare condition affecting about 50 children each year. It develops in the Brainstem, the region that controls vital functions such as balance, breathing and heart rate. This also controls vision, speech, swallowing and movement”

Everything has happened so quickly but as the family and friends learn more about this condition we will be looking to donate a portion of anything raised or what continues to be raised to research on this disease and for families having to live with childhood cancer.