MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A Martin County family with a child fighting rare cancer is getting help from the community to get treatment abroad.
WATCH BELOW: 'This is our last chance,' Brett Steadman tells WPTV's Tyler Hatfield
Cooper Steadman, a 3-year-old boy from Martin County, is being treated for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare form of cancer.
His family told WPTV's Tyler Hatfield they’re looking for help to get him treatment in Rome, Italy, after exhausting options in the United States.
“There's not a lot of options out there for T-cell specific leukemia,” Lauren Steadman, the boy's mother, said. “There's a lot for B cell, but not a lot for T cell.”
The family said Cooper’s white blood cell count is cyclical, where it appears to get better, but then it gets worse.
“It's literally up, down, up, down,” said Lauren Steadman.
For months they’ve been all over the country, from Miami to Houston, but they said nothing appears to work.
“All of them say the same thing, “ said Lauren Steadman. “We've exhausted all treatment that is available in the U.S."
The family said their only option is to head to Rome, Italy, where there’s a specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, which could be their only option.
“This is our last chance,” Brett Steadman, the boy's father, said.
The family said the estimated cost of the treatment is $300,000.
So far, they’ve raised nearly $290,000 from a GoFundMe page but need to raise more to stay over in Rome during treatment. Since Cooper is immunocompromised, the family said they’re hoping to find a private flight.
“He's high risk to fly in a commercial airline,” said Steadman.
But Brett and Lauren are thankful for the community support, so cooper can continue to fight.
“It gives us more hope,” said Brett Steadman. “We don't feel like we're alone.”
To help Cooper, you can click here.
