A teenager from Crawley who has battled leukaemia since he was 16 has been told doctors have run out of treatment options, after remission, a stem cell transplant and a clinical trial all failed to stop the disease returning.

Leo Firth, 19, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at 16 after discovering lumps on his neck and chest, initially misdiagnosed as lymphoma before the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton took over his care, according to his mum, Ashleigh Francis.

Ashleigh said intense chemotherapy put Leo’s cancer into remission for 18 months, but it returned with a TP53 mutation, leading to further chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a cord blood stem cell transplant.

She said the leukaemia returned again just seven months after the transplant, and two rounds of the Apollo clinical trial, their last hope, have since failed to work.

After three years of fighting leukaemia, Leo Firth and his family have been told that his current treatment is no longer working and that there are no further treatment options available to him at the moment. Picture courtesy of Ashleigh Francis/GoFundMe

placeholder image — After three years of fighting leukaemia, Leo Firth and his family have been told that his current treatment is no longer working and that there are no further treatment options available to him at the moment. Picture courtesy of Ashleigh Francis/GoFundMe

Ashleigh said the Royal Marsden has now told the family there are no further treatment options available to Leo there, and the family are desperately searching for any specialist treatment or trial that could give him more time.

The fundraiser, set up by Leo’s sister, Ellie Firth, also aims to help make Leo’s wishes come true and create precious memories with his family, and has raised over £11,000 towards a £16,000 target.

The fundraiser said: “We are asking for help to give our beautiful Leo every possible chance of finding a treatment that could help him.

“After three years of fighting leukaemia, we have been told that his current treatment is no longer working and that there are no further treatment options available to him at the moment. As a family, we are desperately trying to find any possible avenues, specialist treatments or clinical trials that could give Leo more time and hope.

“Every donation will help us explore potential treatment options, seek specialist advice and do everything within our power to find something that could help him.

“We also want to make Leo’s wishes come true, create precious memories together and give him as many special moments as possible, surrounded by the people who love him most.

“No family should have to face this heartbreak. We are holding on to hope and will never stop fighting for our boy. Any donation, no matter how small, or simply sharing our page, would mean more to us than words could ever explain.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping us fight for Leo, search for hope and make his wishes come true.”

To donate, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-find-hope-for-leo.

You can follow Leo’s journey at https://www.instagram.com/leos_cancer_journey.