A FUNDRAISING appeal to pay for Alexander Vinson’s treatment for a rare brain tumour has reached its target of £150,000.

The funds, which were raised through a JustGiving page set up by charity Kids ‘n’ Cancer and with support from the Wiltshire Times, are needed to pay for the three-year-old’s proton beam therapy in America after his application for treatment was turned down by the NHS.

Alexander, who celebrated his third birthday yesterday (Thursday, December 16), travelled to the Procure Proton Beam Therapy Centre in Oklahoma from his home in Dilton Marsh with parents Raluca and Philip at the end of November.

Spending their third week in America, Mrs Vinson, 35, of Friars Close, said: “After the last weekend when Alexander had chemotherapy for three days in the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital we were treated very nice and Alexander was well cared for.

“He had a difficult couple of days after being in pain, aching all over his body and being quite unsettled but thankfully it all passed because On Tuesday he started the proton therapy.

“For this he has to be in the centre first thing in the morning, every day from Monday to Friday. He has to stay nil by mouth from the night before as he needs to be put to sleep so he is still during the radiation.

“He doesn’t like it, he is worried and scared, but we’ve been assured by the staff and other parents that he will get better at it." I hope he will.

“ProCure are very nice because they organise dinners and places we can go to meet other families and make some memories.

“The hotel also organises things for us so we are very thankful to be in such a place where everyone is trying to make this experience as easy and pleasant as possible for us families.

“We just have to stay positive.”

Despite having reached the milestone of £150,000,

People are being encouraged to donate in case Alexander, who has endured two eight-hour operations already on an Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor (AT/RT), becomes unexpectedly ill.

Mike Hyman, co-founder of charity Kids ‘n’ Cancer, said: “It’s going very well, I flew back on Monday and everything is fine.

“He’s responding well to the environment, his treatments on course.

“He has his moments, sometimes he gets a bit grumpy which happens with chemotherapy but He’s settled in really well and he’s coping.

“The problem we have is if he runs up a temperature and has to spend two or three unplanned days in hospital that bill can soon run up to twenty or thirty thousand pounds.”

To make a donation, visit 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’.