A Perth family have travelled to Mexico in the last hope of saving their four-year-old daughter from dying of a brain tumour.
Annabelle Nguyen was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a fatal brain tumour, in September 2015.
But unable to sit back and accept Annabelle had less than a year to live, her parents Trung and Sandy decided to take the little girl overseas for controversial treatment.
A Perth family have travelled to Mexico in the last hope of saving their four-year-old daughter Annabelle Nguyen (pictured)
Annabelle first began experiencing symptoms when she was two years old after she had impaired vision and night terrors.
Her concerned parents took her to Princess Margaret Hospital, where she was diagnosed with the deadly tumour, which has a survival rate of less than one per cent.
Speaking with Daily Mail Australia, Mrs Nguyen said the family were told Annabelle had between six and nine months to live and that they should go home and ‘make memories’.
‘Annabelle was the only child in Perth diagnosed at the time and we were told to enjoy our precious time with her as there isn’t a cure,’ Mrs Nguyen said.
After undergoing 30 intense sessions of radiation at St Charles Gairdner Hospital, Annabelle’s parents decided to return home to Vietnam.
Mrs Nguyen said: ‘We wanted to spend some quality time with her and the family, so she would be surrounded by all that love her’.
The young girl was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a fatal brain tumour, in September 2015 and was told she had just six to nine months to live
But unable to sit back and accept Annabelle’s fate, her parents Trung and Sandy decided to take Annabelle (pictured) overseas for a controversial treatment involving Immunotherapy and a cocktail of drugs
But in May this year a routine MRI showed progression and Mrs Nguyen decided she could not sit back and watch her daughter die.
‘A fire lit within me and immediately we went on the hunt for any trials or treatments available,’ she said.
After sleepless nights they discovered an experimental treatment in Monterrey, Mexico and after speaking with other parents decided ‘there was no looking back’.
The therapy combines an injection of drugs directly into the brain stem with immunotherapy.
But the treatment comes with a hefty $300,000 price tag and means the entire family, including Annabelle’s sister Alyssa, have had to fly out to Mexico.
A Go Fund Me Page has been set up to help the family ‘find a cure for their precious little girl,’ with almost $10,000 raised so far.
The decision came after an MRI in May this year showed progression, with Mrs Nguyen deciding she could not sit back and watch her daughter die
After many sleepless nights Mr and Mrs Nguyen discovered an experimental treatment in Monterrey, Mexico and after speaking with other parents decided ‘there was no looking back’
But the treatment comes with a hefty $300,000 price tag and means the entire family, including Annabelle’s sister Alyssa (left), have had to fly out to Mexico
While a Facebook page follows Annabelle’s fight against the cancer, showing her and the other children also suffering from DIPG between their treatments.
The Nguyens are among one of three Australian families who currently have children undergoing the treatment, The West Australian reports.
And despite Annabelle’s diagnosis, Mrs Nguyen said she remains optimistic and hopes they can continue treatment until there is no evidence of the disease.
‘Listening to the doctors, we didn’t think she could make it to almost two years,’ she said.
‘Never have I thought we would have to go through this painful journey, but now that we are I hope to find a cure for my beautiful Annabelle and every other child diagnosed with DIPG.
‘These innocent children deserves so much more than this cancer.’
The Nguyens are among one of three Australian families who currently have children undergoing the treatment in Monterrey, Mexico
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the family with costs and despite Annabelle’s (right) diagnosis, Mrs Nguyen said she remains optimistic they can continue treatment until there is no evidence of the disease