THE parents of a seriously ill three-year-old are calling on the people of York to help them pay for life-saving treatment which they fear may not be available to them in the UK.

Thomas Cammack is currently undergoing daily doses of gruelling anti-cancer treatment and is understood to be responding well.

However, his parents know even if he is given the all-clear there is an 80 per cent chance the illness could return.

His parents Toni Wood and Richard Cammack are now desperately trying to raise the £300,000 they will need to guarantee treatment should the cancer return.

Thomas, from Selby, was diagnosed earlier this year with neuroblastoma – a cancer which spread from his adrenal gland to his skull, bone marrow, blood and pelvis.

His mother, Toni, 31, said: “The relapse protocol in this country is pretty patchy. There are no guarantees and we don’t want to get to a point where we think we have beaten it then find there are no options (if the cancer returns).

The family believe that their best chance of treatment is to be found abroad, but that would cost £300,000. Now, with the support of the charity, Families Against Neuroblastoma, the family is appealing for help from the wider region.

Toni said: “We have our friends in Selby and the villages around Selby, but you can’t be on at them all the time. People want to help because it’s a child, but people don’t have endless pockets.”

She said the fundraising campaign held its first event earlier this week, a picnic in Riccall Park which attracted 150 people and raised about £200, though the family know they need more help if they are to reach their goal.

She said: “Events take time to organise and time is just something we don’t have. If anybody can do anything, we are up for all the support we can get.”

The aggressive form of childhood cancer is the same disease which prompted a campaign to raise £250,000 for five-year-old Jamie Inglis, of Elvington.

He was given the all-clear in 2010 after undergoing treatment in the US. His parents John and Vicky thanked readers of The Press for helping them raise the money.

If you would like to help Thomas by organising a fundraising event or making or donation, go to bmycharity.com/thomascammackappeal for details.

For more information on neuroblastoma, visit familiesagainstneuroblastoma.org