Christchurch boy battling cancer overwhelmed with Givealittle donations before treatment

The family of a young boy who recently relapsed after fighting cancer since the age of 4 has been overwhelmed by more than $40,000 in donations in 24 hours.

A Givealittle page was set up last month to raise donations for Connor Coster to travel to Australia for what a family friend called “life-saving treatment”.

The 7-year-old was approved last week for chimeric antigen receptor – or CAR T-cell – therapy, but a family friend says that would mean travelling to Melbourne for the treatment.

Lisa Chalmers, who set up the page, is a close friend of Connor’s mother, Lisa Robertson, and said the family are struggling financially. Only Connor’s dad, Bobby Coster, can work because Connor is in and out of hospital constantly.

The page had initially raised $2850 from 64 donors in 22 days but the donation amount has now exploded to more than $50,000.

In a post, Chalmers thanked everyone for their outpouring of generosity for Connor’s treatment.

“We are utterly speechless and forever grateful for the kindness you have shown wee Connor.

“Connor has been discharged from hospital at the moment and has spent the weekend at home with his family. He has been busy making a small vege garden with his brother and mum and dad to cheer him up.”

The 7-year-old was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma with a Philadelphia-positive chromosome at the age of 4 in August 2021.

Connor Coster has acute lymphoblastic lymphoma with a Philadelphia positive chromosome and needs treatment in Melbourne.

This is Connor’s second relapse and the cancer “has come back very fast”, Chalmers said.

In September 2021, Bobby Coster said, they had been out swimming and “things weren’t right”.

“Connor was screaming in agony with pain in his right leg. We couldn’t see anything, so took him to the doctor,” Coster said.

“The doctor examined Connor, couldn’t determine the problem and directed us to give Connor pain relief, and [said], ‘If it isn’t better in 10 days, come back and we will do X-rays’.”

Coster said Connor was in absolute agony for four days and could not walk, so they took him to another doctor who immediately sent them to the paediatrics ward at Christchurch Hospital, where he was X-rayed and underwent blood tests.

The X-ray showed no sign of fractures so Connor was sent for an MRI, after which the doctor said he had a bone infection which could be treated with antibiotics.

But further review of the MRI found a large mass on Connor’s pelvis, and this was confirmed to be cancerous.

“We found out that Connor was riddled with it – in his spinal fluid, a mass on his spine, a large mass on his pelvis, in his kidneys, and a few masses in his little ankle bones,” Coster said.

Connor Coster needs treatment in Melbourne for his cancer. Photo / Give a Little

“A couple days later we got the full diagnosis of a rare acute lymphoblastic lymphoma B-cell with a Philadelphia-positive chromosome.”

Connor completed months of chemotherapy and radiation in the Christchurch Hospital children’s ward and had surgeries to remove lymphomas.

However, he had a relapse in May last year and underwent a bone marrow transplant at Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital in August.

“Connor’s bone marrow transplant seemed to be a success, and Connor had returned to school and had been enjoying spending time with his friends and learning,” Chalmers said.

But at the end of April this year, an ultrasound and bone marrow tests confirmed Connor had relapsed a second time.

Chalmers said Connor’s parents are in their mid-30s and living in Christchurch, where his dad works for an earthworks company which recently went into liquidation.

“This only further added to their emotional and financial stress,” she said.

“I have known Lisa for nine years and she is an incredibly beautiful and genuine soul. She and Bobby are amazing parents to their two children – Connor’s brother is Koda, who is 4.”