4:49pm Friday 26th April 2002
By Joseph O Shea
Since their son James was diagnosed with a rare and debilitating brain condition in January, Robert and Sue Haddad have refused to accept the doctor's prognosis that nothing more can be done for the eight-year-old.
Following a course of radiotherapy at the London Middlesex Hospital and steroids to improve his condition, NHS doctors informed the Haddads that other than palliative treatment, no medication in the UK could help James, and they should prepare for the worst.
Robert said: "With our strong faith, we have never lost hope".
The Haddads believe the doctors assumed James' condition was untreatable, and could not justify committing scant NHS funds on him, in favour of treating others with a better chance of recovery.
Robert said: "Not in a million years would we have expected an NHS funding issue to have clouded the issue of my son's health treatment should never be subject to shifting priorities, statistics or lack of funding." Unwilling to accept the doctor's verdict, the West Croydon parents and family friend Frank Fernando resolved to research world-wide alternative treatments for James' life-threatening condition.
Robert said: " We simply had no choice, the hospital's attitude was so negative we were forced to undertake our own research with no one to point us in the right direction."
Between them, Robert and Frank spent over three thousand hours on the Internet, looking for the "magic pill".
Frank said: "We contacted virtually every specialist hospital and University in the USA to investigate any treatment or therapy available; we left no stone unturned.
"Eventually we were introduced to Angela Dickson of the Samantha Dickson Research Trust who currently fund pioneering research into a drug called Chlorimipramine.
"We were confident that as it was a cytotoxic drug, the side effects would be minimal, so it became our drug of choice". They approached the NHS doctors and requested James be prescribed this drug.
Robert said: "James commenced taking Chlorimipramine a few weeks ago and with God's help, this will help him and others with similar medical conditions."
Although the drug offers the Haddads new hope, the prospect of treatment abroad still looms, and fund-raising for the James Haddad Appeal Fund, set up to cover the cost of caring for James and treatment abroad (with ten per cent going to the Samantha Dickson Trust), is on-going.
So far Guardian readers have raised over £1,000 for James many thanks.
* Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to The James Haddard Appeal Fund, and sent c/o the Croydon Guardian, 3rd Floor, 854 Brighton Road, Purley CR8 2UX (no cash please).
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