Love 4 Luke

In January 2013, Luke was first diagnosed with leukaemia. He was then just 5 years old. He had a long and difficult battle over the next two years - but he won! He successfully completed his treatment in 2015. Luke has spent the years since his initial diagnosis having regular screenings and hospital visits in case of reoccurrence. Luke was looking forward to celebrating a significant milestone, in medical terms, in January 2020, when he would have been 5 years clear post treatment and been declared 'officially' cancer free .

Unfortunately, in October 2019 Luke started to have unexplained weakness and pain. After numerous tests and multiple hospital visits our worst fears were confirmed. The cancer was back! His world and ours came crashing down. Luke began treatment immediately in November 2019 and is currently battling childhood Leukemia for the second time.

Luke has been forced to face more adversity in his twelve years of living than most face in a lifetime and considering these setbacks, continues to impress us with his courage, humility and kindness. He is an exceptional young man and our greatest source of strength. As always, Luke continues to smile, see the good and the positive in everything and everyone. He has a gentle heart and a special way with animals. He has a fierce and undeniable love for his family and his friends.

We have quietly been putting one foot in front of the other and fighting this battle with Luke since November and thankfully Luke, our champion, is doing well and fighting the good fight! He is stable and responding well to treatment. These past 7 months have not only been a journey for our little family but one of monumental and historic challenges for families worldwide. Covid19 has certainly added another dimension to our daily routines and personal habits. We have remained positive and continue to keep a balanced perspective. We have been able to see that our ‘new world’ is a little safer for Luke, as cleanliness and good hygiene, collectively, have helped to protect his immune compromised state. In addition to the emotional toll of having a child with cancer, it has also been a massive financial toll.

Cancer treatments worldwide are expensive. In Hong Kong cancer treatment in the public and private hospitals range from $270 000 - $1,300 000 (https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/sectio...).

Luke is currently undergoing treatment at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital and has once again, received excellent care. We are very fortunate that the majority of Luke’s treatment up until now has been covered.

As Luke has relapsed and the nature of his diagnosis has changed from having cancer in only his bone marrow, to a more rare situation where the disease is in both his bone marrow and central nervous system, the treatment protocol this time is much more aggressive with the potential side effects being more extreme, life threatening and a risk to his long-term quality of life. Each round has had high risk side effects and it has been essential for Luke to have both parents present to mitigate any confusion or complications with regards to his well being and care.

New, pioneering treatments, including Car-T cell treatment, continue to be trialled and developed around the world. They hold the possibility of reducing the current chemotherapy and steroid treatment-induced side-effects and increasing the long-term cure rate and quality of life. At this stage, however, Luke will just continue with his present treatment protocol, as these new treatments are neither available, nor covered here in Hong Kong. This could however, become an option, or even a necessity, later on.

We are a private family and it is difficult enough to ask for help privately, never mind a public forum like this, but we find ourselves in a position now, where we have to humbly ask for your help to make ends meet. We are fortunate to have great medical care and insurance coverage here in Hong Kong, however, when Luke was diagnosed with relapse, we made an immediate decision to spend as much quality time as possible with him. We had to forego the salary to be a family, but without a full income and the unexpected challenges we have faced, we have found ourselves struggling to keep up financially. Funds raised through Love for Luke’s GoFundMe will help with everything from ongoing medical costs, support therapy, travel expenses, loss of income or towards anything you believe could give Luke strength and joy during this challenging time.

Luke is a survivor. He is a warrior. We are a positive, strong family and we will not give up! We trust God that He will guide Luke through this.

Despite the challenges of Covid and these unnerving times, we are blessed and incredibly thankful for amazing family, friends and an incredible community who have reached out to us asking how they can support us further. Our priority is to give Luke his best fighting chance by having access to every possible life changing treatment. We are humbly asking for you to help contribute towards his recovery that will be extensive and continue for another 20 months or more. By contributing you are helping ensure Luke receives any vital treatment and support he may require along the way.

Thank you and please help us fight for Luke and help him beat Leukemia!

We are certainly grateful for all donations through Go Get Funding, they do however include a website fee and card processing fee of around 7%. It would help us even more if you would possibly consider transferring donations directly to Luke’s family’s account.

Hong Kong

• Bank Name: HSBC (004)
• Account Name: Sean Lloyd Inkin
• Account Number: 648-099950-833
• PayMe/FPS: 852 9377 4557