You've Done It - Fantastic news we hit the £50,000 target. Unbelievable ! It has been a great success and Billy will be home shortly having completed his treatment - Thank you, We are overwhelmed with all the support that has been given - that got us where we needed to be and we feel totally blessed to be able to return back home with this behind us. Thank- you for all your amazing support in making this possible. Your thoughts and prayers have really kept us going.

We will be closing the page now and all fundraising - Billy will now take a break for a while to recover and hopes to start some fundraising in the new year for sarcoma research. Thank you all once again.

Urgent update from Billy’s parents:

Fantastic News! NHS “U” turn against all odds

We have just returned from preliminary tests and scans in Switzerland, where an extraordinary turn of events has occurred.

Firstly, we were blessed to have enough money raised by ALL of YOU to get us to see Professor Weber and his team. Whilst there, the Swiss team, aware of how costs would escalate, and moved by #Backbilly, backed Billy themselves by putting their own powerful case to the NHS Proton Panel.

We have just had confirmation that the NHS decision has been reversed and they will now fund Billy’s Proton Beam Therapy, but in Germany.

This is amazing news and Billy is so happy. The NHS reversed their decision due to the medical evidence gathered by the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, and as a direct result of the incredible support shown through #BackBilly.

Every single one of you have made this possible and given us all hope for Billy’s future. Without your generous donations and words of support and encouragement, we would never have been able to contemplate this journey to secure Billy’s future and get him the treatment he desperately needs.

It has also been a great source of comfort and delight for our family to experience such overwhelming support from friends, family, the local community and well wishers from around the world at this very stressful time.

We still have a very difficult path ahead but we have been made stronger by your blessings.

As the Proton treatment will now be funded by the NHS, we are currently revising all our costing and will keep you updated. There have been, and still are many costs associated with Billy’s treatment: costs for treatment this week in Switzerland and contributions towards costs during our 2 month stay in Germany. So obviously our original premise of fundraising which primarily included the cost of the Proton Treatment has changed. We have now reduced the target so it is now more reflective of the associated costs.

It will be a very long road ahead for Billy. We propose to put some of the money in a Trust Fund to make sure Billy’s future medical needs are provided for, as there are risks and long term side effects involved and we want him to have as normal a life as possible. Any funds not used will be donated to Sarcoma Research and to that end if anyone would like their donations returned – please can you email tarquinshawyoung@gmail.com with the amount sponsored and contact details.

Billy has been so amazing throughout his illness. He is raising awareness of Teenage cancer, and he would still like to continue with future fundraising to raise money for Sarcoma Research and help others who are suffering from this little know cancer.

Billy and his team are going to keep his website open and continue to update you on his Journey and progress. Billy will now fly to Essen in Germany on Sunday to meet the team and begin preliminary tests prior to heis course of treatment in a couple of weeks time.

Thank you for your support. It has made all the difference.

Without you we couldn’t have done this.

Becky, Jon & Billy

My sister Becky and her partner Jon have three brilliant sons, Sam, 18, Billy, 15 and Leo, 5. They are a great family, always positive and upbeat and full of fun, despite having had a lot of dark days for this is the third time Billy and the family have battled cancer. Billy is a fighter. He’s a fantastic boy and he’s already a walking miracle because he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia when he was a small baby. After treatment at Bristol Children’s Hospital, less than two years later, the cancer returned and so he underwent further chemo, radiotherapy, complex treatments and a bone marrow transplant using stem cells. But... against all odds, Billy started school at 5 years old and hasn’t looked back. Billy is a success story. He has brought other cancer sufferers strength and hope. It was a miracle for all of us.

After they had been living by the hospital for so long, my sister and her family returned to normality, determined to put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

So, we are devastated that only 13 years later another very different battle has begun as the aggressive treatment that saved his life has now caused another rare type of cancer: chondroblastic osteosarcoma in his face. It’s a large tumour and very difficult to operate on because of its location near the brain. Billy cannot withstand strong chemotherapy because of his past cancer history, so specialist Proton therapy in America is his only option for a cure. Despite chemo since May, it is heart-breaking that the tumour has not shrunk. This is Billy’s big chance to stop the tumour in its tracks, either by making it benign or small enough for specialist surgery to take place. Please back Billy.

Billy has so much to live for. He has been so brave trying to maintain as normal a life as possible. Being very sociable with a great sense of humour, he has many friends and a very positive outlook on life. His hobbies include photography, climbing, cycling and kayaking. Billy loves anything technical having built his own computer and is fantastic at solving technical problems on computers and digital gadgets. He is a crucial part of the technical crew at his school for drama/musical productions and recently DJ’d at sports day. Billy also frequently teaches others to make willow craft. He is an excellent communicator and people person.

His life is in front of him. Billy has beaten cancer before. Please, please help him to do it again. Thank you for any donation you can give to help Billy get the treatment he needs now.

For any media updates or interviews please call 07932762881