Caleb's Story
Caleb Stirrat is a eight-year-old boy from Clydebank, Scotland who is waging a courageous battle with brain cancer. At just three years old, he was diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT). He was given less than a 50% chance of survival. Shortly after completing treatment, Caleb relapsed and was placed on palliative care.
However, he and his family—mum Karen, dad Andy, and triplet sisters Poppy and Alyssia—have renewed hopes about his prognosis after he completed participation in a drug trial in October of 2022.
Caleb’s parents are all too familiar with the enormous difficulties families face when their child has been given a devastating medical diagnosis. In addition to coping with immense grief, many families face financial hardships associated with the costs of treatment, travel, and loss of income while one or both parents takes a leave from work to care for their sick child.
Many have other children to care for as well. The stress of all these factors can make it difficult for families to spend time on what matters most—making the best of whatever time their child has left.
The Stirrats established Caleb’s Trio of Hope to help families create fun, lasting memories for their children in palliative care. The foundation aims to provide emotional and financial support, as well as spur much-needed research on rare cancers in children.
Facts
400 new cases of brain tumours in children are diagnosed every year.
For every 10 children diagnosed with cancer, 2 are brain tumour diagnoses.
ATRT brain tumours so rare that they represent only 1–2% of all paediatric brain tumours in children up to 16 years old. Of approximately 58 people globally who receive this diagnosis every year, all but 2 are likely to be children.
Supporting Our Cause
Your donation helps create fun experiences for children in palliative care, provides financial support for their families, and goes toward important research on rare pediatric cancers and treatments.