For Raffi Starkowitz, life changed dramatically in March 2025 when his nursery staff noticed something unusual: the normally energetic four-year-old had suddenly become unsteady on his feet. 👦💙

His parents initially thought it might be an ear infection or a minor illness. But an MRI revealed something far more serious — a large tumor in the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance and coordination. 🧠💔

Raffi was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where surgeons performed an emergency operation lasting around 10 hours and successfully removed the tumor.

But testing brought another devastating discovery.

Raffi had been diagnosed with Group 3 large-cell anaplastic medulloblastoma, an exceptionally rare and aggressive form of childhood brain cancer. 🎗️💔

His treatment journey was intense.

He endured chemotherapy, weeks in hospital and six weeks of daily radiotherapy, dealing with exhaustion, sickness, infections, hair loss and painful skin problems.

Yet whenever he felt well enough, Raffi still tried to be the little boy he had always been — smiling, playing and finding moments of joy. 🥹💙

Eventually, scans showed no visible disease, bringing his family a precious moment of hope. But because of the aggressive nature of his cancer, they remained worried about the possibility of a relapse.

The family began searching for additional treatment options and eventually found a program in the United States at Penn State Children’s Hospital involving DFMO, an investigational treatment being studied for children with high-risk medulloblastoma. ✨🙏

They launched a fundraising campaign to help cover treatment, travel, accommodation and medical monitoring, with supporters eventually raising around £200,000.

But while Raffi was fighting cancer, another devastating diagnosis struck the family.

His mother, Nicky Starkowitz, was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. 💔

Nicky, a pediatric nurse and mother of three, suddenly found herself undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy while continuing to care for Raffi and his two sisters, Ella and Talya.

One family.

Two cancer battles.

And a little boy who still dreams of simply being a kid again. 🥺💙

Before his diagnosis, Raffi loved trucks, trains, football and helping his family. His parents’ greatest wish is to give him the chance to return to those simple joys — to grow up, play freely and experience the ordinary childhood that cancer interrupted. 🌈🧸

The road ahead remains uncertain, but his family continues to hold onto hope.

After emergency brain surgery, months of exhausting treatment and a second cancer battle within his own family, little Raffi is still fighting — surrounded by love and a community determined to help him have the future he deserves. 💙🎗️🙏✨