Chance meeting hastens youth's cancer surgery

Christopher Wilson, from Harrogate, was given the treatment at the charitable London Clinic in Harley Street after experts had feared that tumours on his spine were inoperable.

However, the 18-year-old was given fresh hope when cancer specialists at Leeds General Infirmary told his family about a new radiosurgical technology for treating tumours, called CyberKnife.

However, the procedure is available at only two hospitals in the country – and Mr Wilson's family faced raising 22,000 to pay for the treatment.

His grandmother, Jean Wilson, 76, was collecting money in Ripon Market on a rainy Saturday in May when she had a chance meeting with Michael Abrahams, chairman of the London Clinic.

Mr Abrahams, who lives near Ripon and is a deputy lieutenant of North Yorkshire, was so moved by the plight of Mrs Wilson's grandson that he pledged to arrange immediate treatment for the teenager.

His mother, Sara Wilson, said: "We are immensely grateful to Michael Abrahams and the team at the London Clinic for offering Chris the chance to undergo this advanced treatment – and to once again give us more hope in our ongoing battle against this terrible disease.

"We've always had a wonderful team of healthcare professionals in Leeds – but we were reaching a stage where they were just unable to help us anymore.

"The chance meeting between my mum and Michael Abrahams was a dream come true and has given Chris the gift of being able to enjoy life once more, doing all the things that a teenager should be doing."

Mr Wilson was only eight when he was first diagnosed with the rare form of cancer, called ependymoma. He underwent surgery and radiotherapy, but the tumours returned in his spine after four years.

Since then, he has undergone operations and treatment to remove eight more tumours.

He was treated with CyberKnife at the clinic's cancer centre earlier this month after Mr Abrahams secured funding from charities including the Yorkshire Children's Hospital Fund, which he helped found, and Brainstrust.

Mr Abrahams also approached the New Victoria Medical Foundation, a charity that works closely with the clinic.

It is hoped that the treatment will successfully destroy the tumour and prevent Mr Wilson from becoming paralysed as well as potentially prolonging his life.

Mr Abrahams said: "This is a heartwarming story of how charities can come together to offer patients hope."