Riley Cameron Fund backs childhood leukaemia research

Riley Cameron was just eight years old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) after a week of feeling unwell and several healthcare visits.

He died less than a week later in Leeds St James Hospital in July 2008.

Riley Cameron who died of acute myeloid leukaemia when he was just eight. Photo: Family

His mum, Rachel, described him as “a very loving and caring boy”, who loved cuddles, cars, and being a big brother to his sister Rianna.

After years of fundraising for Blood Cancer UK, raising almost £50,000, Rachel wanted to begin fundraising for childhood cancer-specific research.

In 2020, she set up The Riley Cameron Forget Me Not Fund at CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association, to raise money for research into childhood AML.

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Rachel said: “I just want to help other families that are going through what is the scariest time of their lives. If I can help just a little bit, then that means the world to me.

“I know this is what Riley would do if he were still with us.”

Riley’s fund has now raised more than £30,000 and has been able to support CCLG in funding two new leukaemia research projects.

The projects will use cancer samples from VIVO biobank, which stores childhood cancer tumours and blood samples for use in research.

Riley with his dad Neil. Photo: Family

Rachel said: “These projects mean so much to me and my family – they are a huge step in the right direction to finding better treatments for AML.

“I feel very proud of the work that the researchers are doing, and it is an honour to be part of such an amazing charity.”

She hopes the research will give families going through a leukaemia diagnosis a more positive outlook for their child’s future.

The two new projects hope to support the development of better and safer treatments for AML and are being led by Dr Katrina Lappin, at Queen’s University Belfast, and Dr Sophie Kellaway, at the University of Nottingham.

Dr Kellaway’s research is exploring whether an asthma medicine, which is already used for children, could be repurposed into the first relapse specific treatment for AML.

She said: “At the moment, there are no specific treatments to stop AML growing back and treatment after a relapse is often incredibly difficult.

“We know that the asthma drug we are testing can stop the relapse-causing AML cells from growing – but we think it might also be able to get rid of them completely.”

Dr Kellaway said the drug has minimal side effects, which could be game-changing for children, as existing treatments often cause serious life-long health problems.

Dr Lappin’s research aims to develop a better way to test treatments for AML, with a focus on combinations of immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

She said: “By creating a more accurate and cost-effective way to test treatments, this research could help bring safer, more effective treatments to children faster.”

Dr Sarah Evans, CCLG’s head of research, said: “We are delighted to fund these two projects, made possible by our brilliant Special Named Fund families. Developing kinder, more effective treatments for cancers such as AML is one of our top priorities. Every child deserves not only a cure, but the chance to live a long, healthy and happy life after cancer.”

Professor Deborah Tweddle, director of VIVO Biobank, said: “We are once again delighted to work alongside CCLG in supporting these pilot studies and providing samples for these exciting research projects.”

Rachel thanked the fund’s ‘amazing’ and said she hopes to continue her fundraising to enable further innovative research.

To support The Riley Cameron Forget Me Not Fund, visit specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/the-riley-cameron-forget-me-not-fund