THE family of Dilton Marsh’s Alexander Vinson have just four days left to raise £50,000 so the youngster can receive life-saving treatment for a rare brain tumour.

The two-year-old was diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor (AT/RT) in July this year, and underwent two eight-hour operations to have 80 per cent of the tumour removed.

With the help of charity Kids ‘n’ Cancer and support from the Wiltshire Times, a fundraising page has now managed to raise nearly £100,000 for Alexander to have proton beam therapy in America after the NHS refused his application.

The youngster, who needs £150,000 for the treatment, was initially due to fly out in December but this date has been brought forward as his condition worsens.

Founder of Kids ‘n’ Cancer, Mike Hyman said: “Alexander’s parents, Philip and Raluca, are coping well in a very difficult situation.

“Alexander is the 152 child that we’ve helped and it’s a very difficult situation for the parents, at the end of the day it is the fruit of your loins, you expect to bury your parents not kids.

“From my situation children should be doing what every childhood should be about, climbing things, playing football, annoying their parents because that’s what growing up is all about.

“The reason I set up the charity was because I was asked to chair a committee to raise funds for an 11-year-old boy with prostate cancer in 2010 but by the time he got the money he was too ill to travel.

“I looked at it and thought this is crazy, you have an oncologist saying proton beam therapy will help and a doctor in America as well, so that was the catalyst.”

A number of charity events have been held by friends of the family in the past few weeks, with more planned including a clothes swap in Sutton Veny Village Hall on December 2 from 7.30pm.

Charity Wiltshire Wishes will also be holding an event on Sunday (November 22) at Dilton Marsh Memorial Hall from 11am-2pm.

This will include a raffle, teddy tombola, face painting, and jumble sale amongst other things.

To make a donation to the Alexander Appeal, visit https://www.justgiving.com/actionforalexander/ or send cheques to Kids ‘n’ Cancer at Bridge Business Centre, Beresford Way, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 9FG. Cheques should include a note on the back stating it is for the ‘Alexander Appeal’.