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More on KentOnline
A teenage girl fighting an aggressive cancer is holding onto the glimmer of hope a new drug trial not yet available on the NHS could prolong her life.
Yasmin Kerkham, from Ditton, was dealt the devastating news that nothing more could be done just days before her 19th birthday.
But she and her family are not prepared to give up any time soon and in just six days more than £22,000 has been raised to enable pioneering treatment to be sent over from America costing up to £1,700 a month, which could prolong her life.
Yasmin, a cheerleader, ice skater and dancer, was diagnosed with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma two years ago.
What started as a lump in her throat turned into a long battle including six months of intensive chemotherapy and countless blood and platelet transfusions
At the start of 2020, there was a flicker of hope for the MidKent College performing arts pupil as she had the strength to return to the dance studio in Gillingham for the first time since her treatment began.
But on September 22, the family's world came crashing back down when Yasmin became unwell again and her parents Paul and Kirsty Kerkham, both 41, rushed her back to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
A CT scan revealed their worst nightmare, that the tumour in Yasmin's chest had returned aggressively along with signs of cancer attacking her bone marrow.
Mrs Kerkham, who describes her daughter as 'one-of-a-kind' explained: "When I saw the consultant and Yasmin's key worker walking towards me I knew then it wasn’t good news.
"They told me she had relapsed in her treatment and that the cancer in her chest had come back so she has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) on top of the lymphoma.
"To watch her go from dancing and skating around an ice rink to being bed bound is heartbreaking."
Yasmin has been receiving specialist care at The Royal Marsden since September and because of the pandemic, has not properly seen her younger brothers Connor, 11, and Dylan, eight, in months.
The latest rounds of chemotherapy have been so gruelling, it has attacked Yasmin's nervous system and she is suffering with neuropathy in her hands and feet which means she cannot walk or pick things up.
It was earlier this month Mr and Mrs Kerkham were told by doctors the one thing a parent never wants to hear, that there was nothing more they could do.
But the family could not accept this outcome and Yasmin’s case was sent to a meeting of top consultants across the world which identified the trial overseas.
Now all hopes rest on the treatment manufactured in the United States which may extend her life and enable her to go home.
Determined to give her daughter a fighting chance, Mrs Kerkham said: "We will bend the world backwards to try and save our daughter and that's why we started the Go Fund Me page.
"I’m absolutely overwhelmed by it all. I can’t thank everyone enough for what they have done for her. It means the world to me and Paul and her brothers.
"We are grateful to everyone who has donated. They don’t realise how much it has taken a burden off of us and we are forever grateful.
"If sharing Yasmin's story helps raise awareness for children's cancer that's all I can ask. We hear about adult cancer all the time, but there is virtually nothing for children and I think it needs to change."
Yasmin is still waiting to hear back from the company in America but is hoping to be able to start the treatment as soon as possible.
While the initial target has been reached, the final cost for Yasmin's treatment is unknown and could well exceed the total further.
Every penny raised will go towards the medical costs and supporting the Kerkham family while they are out of work, away from home, and caring for their daughter.
Friends and family are also planning fundraisers which are set to take place at the end of February if Covid-19 restrictions allow.
