'Cancer vaccine' target for Hassocks boy, 4, reaches half way

Teddy Lichten, from Hassocks, was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma in July 2022, which develops from specialised nerve cells and means there is just a 40 per cent chance he will reach his eighth birthday.

In mid-February his parents launched a fundraising campaign with a £300,000 target which needs to be reached by the end of this year, when his frontline treatment in the NHS comes to an end.

The four-year-old then needs to fly to the US for a potentially “life-saving” treatment in New York, which “teaches the body to do the work of immunotherapy on its own” and is in the trial stage.

“It’s a cancer vaccine and it’s only available at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York,” said Teddy’s mum Kat Lichten, 34.

Teddy Lichten, 4, with his younger brother Rupert, 17-months, his father Alastair, 34, and his mother Kat, 34. (Image: PA)

“Immunotherapy is very effective for neuroblastoma, but it’s only active in the body when it’s being given, so you can give it and then 72 hours after you stop giving it, it’s completely out of the system.

“When we set out to raise up to £300,000 it seemed an impossible task, but I really believe we can do it now.

“It’s been a long slog to £150,000 and it’s been incredible to see all the support we’ve had from the community, strangers up and down the county and even abroad as well.

“All my friends were constantly going and checking, so it was one of my friends that texted me and said, ‘We hit 150k’.”

Mrs Lichten said people in the local community have taken on family fun days, quiz nights and some have even done a 100km bike ride, which she said has been “insane”.

But she also said that trying to raise such a large sum of money has been a “huge burden”.

“When your child is diagnosed and you hear that they’ve got a 40 per cent chance of survival, you want to do absolutely anything in your power to better that,” she said.

Teddy Lichten (Image: PA)

“We’re in the most stressful period of our lives trying to care for an extremely sick child and we’ve also got a 17-month-old as well.”

Teddy's mum said he is aware that he is “poorly” and the family has “pointed out posters” with his face on them to promote the campaign, but that he has found solace in playing with trains, which are his “obsession”.

“He loves singing the theme tune of Thomas The Tank Engine and will spend hours playing out little scenarios with the trains,” she said.

Mrs Lichten said that when she found out Teddy had cancer it felt “like our whole world imploding”.

“We were scared and confused, and I was angry at the world for making this his fate,” she said.

“Teddy immediately started a four-month regime of chemotherapy, where he was hooked up to chemotherapy drugs for 24 hours a day for seven to 10 days at a time in hospital.

Teddy Lichten at the beach (Image: PA)

“His immune system would completely go to pieces each time and he would end up with sepsis and then we’d come back out from hospital just in time to go back in again for him to have his next round.”

She added that he has also had two stem cell transplants and spent last Christmas Eve in intensive care after his first one.

“I actually ended up missing our youngest son’s first Christmas because I was in hospital with Teddy,” Mrs Lichten said.

Mrs Lichten said she and her family are working with neuroblastoma charity Solving Kids’ Cancer, who have a campaign running which has called on the Government to look into funding and push for European trials of the drug.

The fundraising link can be accessed here: https://www.solvingkidscancer.org.uk/children/teddylichten/

“It can’t be available on the NHS until there has been a randomised phase three trial here in the UK,” she added.

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“But that would take about 10 years and about £15 million of investment, so it’s not anywhere near starting.”

She said that the disease returns in almost 50 per cent of children – sometimes months or years into remission – and if this happens, fewer than than one in 10 sufferers will survive.

People can also donate by texting TEDDYL followed by any amount up to £20 to 70085.