Crowdfunding appeal for Derbyshire boy with bone cancer hits £10K in first week

Eight-year-old Harry Budd, a pupil at New Mills Primary School, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – bone cancer – on December 28, just a few weeks after he first started to feel discomfort.

Mum Becky Budd said: “As a family, we are absolutely devastated about Harry being diagnosed with bone cancer. He’s such a cheeky, happy, sporty little lad, always a smile on his face. It’s just so distressing to see him so ill.

“He had been troubled by pain in his leg, which meant he missed playing in a couple of football matches and training sessions, and was really upset about that. You never think that it could ever turn out to be something so serious as cancer.”

There are only around 30 new cases of osteosarcoma in children in Great Britain each year, according to the charity Children With Cancer UK.

Following an initial two-week stay at Stepping Hill hospital, Harry, Becky and husband Rob must now attend regular appointments at Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, then potentially Manchester Children’s Hospital.

To ease their burden, family friend Sophie Fryer launched a crowdfunding campaign on the GoFundMe platform.

She said: “It goes without saying that this is heart-breaking in itself, but the challenges Harry’s family now face are compounded by the fact that he needs to be treated many miles from his home.

“No family should have to go through what the Budds are now facing, and while there's little any of us can do to help medically, raising money for the family means that they'll be able to spend more time together without worrying so much about the impact of time by Harry's side, like travel costs and not working.

“And when he comes home again, they’ll be able to heat their home through the day without worrying so much about the extortionate bills. They will, hopefully, also be able to buy the occasional treat for Harry and his two sisters, to bring the odd bit of joy to this awful time.”

Football-mad Manchester United fan Harry plays for both New Mills Juniors and Wasps, and he has found plenty of supporters among the wider footballing community, with donations flooding in from clubs and fans across the region.

Sophie, doing her bit as a Manchester City fan, said: “The original target was £5,000, given the hard times for everyone at the moment, and it being straight after Christmas. We have been blown away by people’s generosity and are keeping our fingers crossed that the donations keep coming in – even the smallest donation will help.

“Harry’s been much missed at school, by teachers and children alike, and this cruel illness has forced him to take a break from football, so he's hugely missed by his team.

“Despite the pain he’s in and the treatment he's already had to go through, Harry keeps a smile on his face. Those of us lucky enough that our children count him as a friend know how he lights up a room with his cheeky personality.

To donate to the appeal, go to www.gofundme.com/f/harry-and-his-family and use the hashtag #WithYouHarryLad to spread the word on social media.