A boy's two-year campaign to fundraise for cancer treatment is nearly at its target of £230,000.
Archie celebrated his fifth birthday by dancing with his twin brother, Henry.
Simon Wilks said Archie’s fundraiser has now reached £210,000. This milestone could allow him to wave cancer goodbye by getting a vaccine in New York later this year.
Simon said: “The vaccine stops the cancer from coming back, it teaches the body to fight off the cancer before it can develop.”
Before receiving the vaccine, Archie has to undergo surgery which could take up to 12 hours.
Next week, doctors will take some blood tests and see how strong Archie’s body is.
Simon said: “It’s taken a bit longer than we thought.
“We are hoping we are really close to the surgery as his body is strong. We were waiting for December, then January, now we are hoping early April.
“After six months more treatment at the very least, we can go to America.”
Simon admitted he and his wife Harriet had to overcome many challenges, balancing home schooling, Archie’s journey and fundraising, which was hard to continue as hoped because of coronavirus restrictions.
He added: “To me it seemed like a lifetime away, but the fact that he is nearly there with money and treatment, it’s starting to feel like we are getting there now.
“Our world stood still because of Covid, and we had a whole year of being in hospital before the pandemic.
“We were exhausted anyway and we were mentally on the edge. I think if his treatment wasn’t working when the pandemic came, it would have been a lot harder.”
Last month, Archie and his twin brother Henry turned five.
Archie asked for a Harry Potter birthday cake, and Henry for a superhero one.
Simon said: “We spent a whole evening on those.
“We had presents, decorated the house and they had a little dance. We made the most out of what we could at home.”
Archie has been shielding as he and Henry started Reception in September last year.
SEE ALSO: Newport boy beats coronavirus while fighting cancer
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here