'GP sent us away and now our son's chances of cure are low'

The parents of a six-year-old boy who is facing cancer for a third time following are raising funds to access overseas treatment to give him "the best possible chance". Tommy Verbickas, from Sale, Greater Manchester, was just two years old when he was diagnosed with Wilms tumour - a form of kidney cancer - in February 2022, after medics found a 2.3kg mass on his left kidney.

He endured chemotherapy, surgery and numerous hospital appointments before ringing the end-of-treatment bell in November 2022, with his parents, Rebecca and Darius, believing "that chapter was closed". But Tommy has since suffered two relapses and is now confronting cancer for a third time - with Rebecca, 37, who works in customer service, and Darius, 46, an HGV driver, being told his "chance of cure is now low".

With local treatment options proving limited, the pair are raising money for "clinical trials and innovative therapies not available through the NHS" to give him the greatest opportunity to "get better and win this".

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"At the time (of his first diagnosis), one of the play specialists said, 'If you're going to get cancer, this is the best cancer to get'," Rebecca said. "Now, looking back, I just think, how can she say that?

"I've never had that time to grieve and process it, because it's always been so constant, and the question I'm asked the most is: 'How do you do it?' I have no choice. I have no choice but to carry on and be the strongest version for him. It's him that drives me, he's my inspiration, he's my superhero."

Rebecca paints a picture of Tommy as an energetic, mischievous and ever-smiling six-year-old lad who adores football, dancing and playing with his four siblings. In the months leading up to his diagnosis in 2021, Rebecca noticed that Tommy "kept being sick", frequently ran high temperatures, was losing weight and suffering from constipation, and his testicles were swollen.

Despite this, every trip to the GP ended with them being dismissed and told "it's viral". She estimates she visited the GP at least four times and made two hospital visits – yet she says "it still didn't get diagnosed".

In February 2022, Rebecca called NHS 111 for further guidance and a doctor came to their home, arranging for Tommy to provide a urine sample and have blood tests.

Rebecca said: "She just said, 'there's something going on, I don't know what it is', and, obviously, I didn't question it."

While awaiting a blood test, which Rebecca claimed "the GP didn't follow up on", Tommy began to show signs of improvement. However, less than a fortnight later, Rebecca's mum, who was caring for him, noticed blood in his nappy.

After requesting Tommy's medical records from the GP, they rushed him to A&E where Rebecca first saw cancer mentioned in the notes as suspected "leukaemia or myeloma". An urgent scan on February 24 revealed that two-year-old Tommy had a 2.3kg mass on his left kidney, specifically a Wilms tumour.

They were then transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. According to Cancer Research UK, Wilms tumour is a type of kidney cancer most commonly found in young children, with symptoms including blood in urine, loss of appetite, fever, weight loss and constipation.

Tommy soon began chemotherapy and doctors reassured Rebecca that he had "a good chance" of achieving remission, but she found the diagnosis "very hard".

"When I first walked onto the oncology ward, I just completely broke down," she said. "You don't ever think you're going to be put in that situation... but doctors said there was a 95% chance of it not coming back on this treatment and he should go on to live life."

Following 38 weeks of chemotherapy, eight sessions of proton beam therapy and "an eight-hour surgery" to remove his left kidney, Rebecca said he was like "a different child" and began his recovery. He rang the end-of-treatment bell in November 2022 and Rebecca said they "truly believed that chapter was closed" as scans revealed no evidence of disease.

Tommy returned to nursery and was "getting stronger every day", but during a routine maintenance scan in September 2023, medics delivered the devastating news to Rebecca that the cancer had come back in his lungs.

"I remember coming home that day and he was playing on his scooter, and I thought, 'How have we just been told that it's come back?'," she said.

"But again, it was very positive, because he hadn't had a lot of treatment the first time, so they were saying he can still do this, he's got a good 70%, 75% chance that it won't come back."

Rebecca said he "reacted well" to the chemotherapy, though he did lose his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, and he underwent two operations to remove the cancerous tissue in his lungs, alongside radiotherapy. In August 2024, Rebecca and Darius were told there was no evidence of disease once more.

But in May 2025, less than a year later, Rebecca said they received "news no parent ever wants to hear" – that Tommy had relapsed for the second time, aged five. Scans showed the cancer was "extensive" in his left lung and the pair were told the "chance of cure is now low". Rebecca revealed they were "so hopeful the second time", that the news left her "heartbroken and devastated".

"I felt like there was no point. All I wanted to do was stay in bed," Rebecca explained. "But a friend texted me and said, 'just live in the moment today', and I do that all the time. Tommy just gets on with everything that's thrown at him... what he is doing is just amazing."

Tommy has been undergoing "more intense chemotherapy", is responding well to treatment, and he will soon begin "high-dose" chemotherapy from October. Yet after these chemotherapies, Rebecca revealed she has been informed that "there are no treatments left on the NHS".

The pair have consequently set up a JustGiving page to raise £300,000 to give Tommy "the best possible chance of beating this", with the money going towards travel and relocation, food, visas and more.

"We want to be in the best possible situation," Rebecca said. "Even though the treatment is working now and we're very grateful, the likelihood of it coming back is very high, and at that point, we would then need to source trials in America or anywhere in the world."

Rebecca revealed Tommy remains active and continues with some schoolwork through an AV1 robot, which enables him to participate in lessons from home and chat to his mates, and she described him as her "Wilms warrior". She said his diagnoses have shown her not to "take the little things for granted" and she is encouraging other parents to fight for their child and "demand" answers regarding their health.

Discussing how much securing the funds would mean to her, she added: "Everyone who has donated and is doing their own fundraising, they're just incredible. Knowing that people you've never met are giving him a chance of life and surviving this, there are no words that would explain what that would do for us, for Tommy, the family, everyone. It would be incredible because no-one should have to fight for their life like this."

Pascale Harvie, president and general manager of JustGiving, said: "Tommy's journey is a powerful testament to courage and resilience. From an incredibly young age, he has faced challenges that no child should ever have to endure – yet his strength, spirit and determination continue to inspire everyone around him.

"His family's unwavering commitment to sharing his story and seeking every possible avenue for treatment not only highlights the realities faced by so many others, but also brings hope and awareness to a wider audience. Their bravery is deeply moving, and we send them our heartfelt support as they continue this journey together."

To find out more, visit the fundraising page at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tommysjourney- or visit his Instagram page @tommys_journey__.