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After 16 months of battling stage 4 cancer, 5-year-old Dylan Yallop was bouncing off the walls with excitement to finally have his turn at ringing the bell to declare himself cancer-free.
Unfortunately, the appointment took a turn for the worse when it was discovered his cancer had returned.
Now Dylan’s parents, Chris Yallop and Vanessa Lenihan, their friend Gary Hough and others are rallying around to raise as much money as possible to give Dylan a fighting chance.
Mr Hough said Dylan was first diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in January 2024 and spent 16 months fighting extremely hard through rounds of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and through major surgery until he was eventually in the clear.
Dylan was registered and excited to begin at Queenstown Primary School as a new entrant when the family found out last month the cancer was back.
‘‘He was just getting ready to go,’’ Mr Hough said.
The family went up to Christchurch with Dylan to have his final check-in where Dylan would have got to ring the bell to declare himself cancer-free.
Mr Hough said Dylan was beyond excited for his turn to ring the bell.
‘‘He was literally bouncing into the hospital for the check so they were planning a happy weekend up there.’’
Unfortunately, the appointment led to the discovery that Dylan’s cancer had returned.
He said relapsed neuroblastoma was an aggressive disease with limited treatment options in New Zealand.
‘‘It was just a complete shock to the family when he went up for his routine check to find the cancer back despite no symptoms.’’
Dylan has begun treatment again in Christchurch while his medical team explores overseas clinical trials and specialist treatment opportunities.
‘‘He's the bravest boy I know — unbelievably brave.
‘‘The doctor was saying Dylan should be in so much pain with where the cancer is ... but he's so strong and brave that he didn't show any signs,’’ Mr Hough said.
Before the second diagnosis, Dylan was back to being an absolutely normal boy ‘‘jumping out of trees and doing everything’’.
‘‘He has the strength to do it, it's just that we need to get the money to get him the treatment so he can battle.’’
During the first rounds of treatment, Mr Yallop and Ms Lenihan managed it all without help.
‘‘But now it's way beyond their means to continue,’’ Mr Hough said.
Mr Hough and other friends had started a Givealittle page to support the family, and to help get Dylan overseas for treatment.
They were also hoping to get in touch with anyone wanting to help them with some fundraising events.
Unfortunately, the figure Mr Hough and his friends were trying to raise for the family was ‘‘huge’’.
‘‘We're on the lookout for anyone, any philanthropic member of the public that could, yeah, step up for the family in a big way.’’
The United States was the most likely place the family would need to go for treatment.