Tamworth locals Kerry and Di Schofield were devastated when their grandson, Jack Schofield, now 4, was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma cancer in April 2023.
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The youngster was diagnosed the week of his fourth birthday.
Jack and his parents, Trent and Jamiee, along with his older brother Ted, 6, live in Sydney.
The first sign anything might be amiss with Jack was a limp - not something unusual for an active a child, especially when young boys play rough.
In this case it turned out to be a mandarin-sized tumour near Jack's adrenal gland and kidney; the cancer silently spread to Jack's lymph nodes, bone marrow and throughout his bones.
The Schofield family, formerly of Willow Tree, said Jack's treatment started in May 2023, and he endured six months in hospital, eight rounds of chemotherapy, an eight-hour surgery, a bone marrow transplant, and 12 rounds of radiation.
Jack has responded well and Di Schofield said the cancer has cleared, save for a few remaining cancerous cells in his bone marrow.
Their hope now is his next and final stage of treatment (six-months immunotherapy) will clear those remaining cells.
Di Schofield said the frightening truth was that neuroblastoma had a 50 per cent relapse rate, and if Jack relapses, his chances of survival plummet to just five per cent.
"There are two amazing drugs available in America that have been proven to reduce the risk of relapse by 25pc," she said.
"Both the drugs - difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), which is FDA approved, and a bivalent vaccine - represent the current standard of care given to US children with neuroblastoma.
"Unfortunately, Australia won't be bringing these drugs into the country for at least another two years - in the meantime, Jack has a 50:50 chance of relapsing and dying."
To increase Jack's chances of survival, the family needs to raise $500,000 to get him access to at least one of the drugs in America.
"We have until the middle of August to raise the money to cover the cost of the medication and other hospital requirements, as well as flights to the US and accommodation whilst Jack and his parents are there," Di Schofield said.
To help fund the trip and treatment, the family has started a GoFundMe, Behind the Bear Campaign. As of April 2, the GoFundMe had raised $255,570 of the $500,000.
