Brave family who rejected donations as their little boy Max Robinson, 4, fought off cancer TWICE are left with no other option after horror new diagnosis. This is the plea they hoped they’d never have to make

The family of a four-year-old child who refused donations as their son battled cancer twice have been left with no choice after a heartbreaking new diagnosis.

Queensland toddler Max Robinson was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2021 and has undergone several surgeries, including a bone marrow transplant.

Max’s family was told twice that he had entered remission, in early 2022 and mid-2023, after blood tests showed no cancer in his system.

However, on March 16, they were left heartbroken again when a scan found cancer cells in 84 percent of his body. A scan just a month earlier found nothing.

“The other day I noticed some bruises on him in the pool and took him in for some blood tests,” Max’s mother, Clara Robinson, told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Unfortunately it came back again, so this is now his second relapse.’

They soon discovered that the next available treatment in Australia would not give Max the best chance of beating his cancer, so his parents went abroad.

“It (Max’s cancer) is now becoming harder to treat because the cells have mutated slightly,” Mrs Robinson said.

‘They adapt their geneso they respond less to chemotherapy.

‘The treatment that would be the next phase in Australia is not suitable for Max because two-thirds of his cancer cells no longer express the gene it is targeting.

‘That’s why we had to look internationally.’

The family settled in a children’s hospital in Singapore, which offers treatments specifically targeting mutated cancer genes.

The program is highly sought after and the earliest the family can secure a spot for little Max is in June.

However, to reserve his spot, the family must pay his medical bills up front – an estimated $280,000.

To make matters worse, the Australian government will not help the family pay for the treatment as it is considered ‘experimental’, despite positive results having been achieved for several years.

Although they have reversed donations before, the family has asked for help raising the necessary funds.

A close family friend, Nicola Johnson, started one GoFundMe which has raised more than $162,000 as of Thursday.

‘I need your help to get Max to Singapore! To give him this treatment so that he grows up and can look back on this marathon and think, ‘Wow, I did that and so many people stood behind me to get me there,'” she wrote.

“The Robinsons are the strongest, most resilient family who, despite everything that has been thrown at them, have remained optimistic, strong and steadfast in their fight for Max’s life.

“This is the team, let’s finish this cancer once and for all. Every dollar counts.’

Mrs Johnson said she had previously tried to raise money for the family, but they had instead chosen to donate the money to cancer research organisations.

“I raised over $20,000 and shaved my head for the Children’s Cancer Institute in 2022,” she said.

‘Cara was adamant that she didn’t want to take money from people. The money from my head shave went to childhood cancer research and that was Cara’s wish.’

Mrs Robinson explained that while the family would prefer treatment in Singapore as she has previously worked there temporarily and it is more affordable, they will consider going to treatment facilities in America if Max’s cancer worsens.

“It wasn’t detected in February and by March it was in 84 percent of his cells, so it was quite aggressive in terms of how quickly it returned,” she said.

“Honestly, we are incredibly grateful for all the donations so far. We just have so many variable costs and our new challenge is, if we can’t get to Singapore in June, should we go to the US?

‘The challenge with the US is that it is obviously much further away and it is much more expensive there, about $500,000.’

Max has so far received his treatment at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, but Ms Robinson said “he is noticeably over it”.

“He was a baby when he was first diagnosed, a year and a half old. “He was in and out of the hospital every day for three years,” she said.

‘It’s quite a shame that he wakes up most mornings and says, “Do I have to go to the hospital today?” where most kids would say, “Do I have to go to school today?”.

“He’s obviously severely immunosuppressed right now, but trying to do some of the things he loves in a safe way.”

Just over a week ago, Max and his family got to watch his favorite football team, the Brisbane Broncos, and meet the players in the locker room.

‘That was just incredible. He was so excited about that,” Mrs Robinson said.

While Max and his seven-year-old brother Jack are partially shielded from the severity of Max’s diagnosis because of their age, Mrs Robinson and her partner Andy have had a ‘difficult journey’.

“I think subconsciously we take turns deciding who breaks down, and the other person kind of holds it together and picks it back up again,” Ms. Robinson said.

‘I think last year the first relapse probably hit me the worst. While this one was the opposite.

‘The most important thing for us is that we are a family unit. The more time we can spend together, the better.”

She added that Jack has played a big role in keeping his brother in good spirits through his treatments.

“Jack is pretty incredible. HHe was only four when Max was first diagnosed, so we didn’t immediately go into detail about what was going on,” Mrs Robinson said.

‘We never really talked about howhere was an opportunity [Max’s treatment] It wasn’t going to work, so when it fell back, Jack was pretty confused again because he thought it was done.

“He’s been pretty strong, he’s a very supportive brother.”

Max’s treatment in Singapore is expected to last two to three months.

His entire family will come together to support him during the procedure.

While they wait for a place in the Singaporean hospital, they hope to keep Max’s cancer at bay through Australian treatments.