Brave family who turned down donations when their little boy Max Robinson, 4, battled cancer TWICE are left with no other option after a terrifying new diagnosis. This is the plea they hoped they would never make

The family of a four-year-old who refused donations as their little boy twice battled cancer have been left with no other option after a heartbreaking new diagnosis.

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

Max’s family were told twice that he had gone into remission, in early 2022 and mid-2023, after blood tests found no cancer in his system.

However, they were crushed again on March 16 when a scan found cancer cells in 84 percent of his body. A scan just a month earlier found none.

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

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

They quickly learned that the next available treatment in Australia would not give Max the best chance of beating his cancer, so his parents looked overseas.

“It (Max’s cancer) is becoming more challenging to treat now because the cells have mutated a bit,” Ms Robinson said.

‘They adapt their geneso they respond less to chemotherapy.

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

‘That is why we have had to look internationally.’

The family settled on a children’s hospital in Singapore, which offers treatment that specifically targets mutated cancer genes.

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

But 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 showing positive results for several years.

While they have turned down donations before, the family has asked for help to raise the necessary funds.

A close family friend, Nicola Johnson, started one GoFundMe which has raised over $162,000 since Thursday.

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

‘The Robinsons are the strongest, most resilient family who, despite everything they’ve been dealt, have remained optimistic, strong and unwavering in their fight for Max’s life.

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

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

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

‘Cara was adamant that she would not accept people’s money. The money from my head shave went to childhood cancer research and that was Cara’s wish.’

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

“It was undetected in February and then it was in 84 percent of his cells by March, so it was pretty aggressive in terms of how quickly it came back,” 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 make it into June in Singapore, are we going to the US?

“The challenge with the US is obviously it’s a lot further away and it’s a lot more expensive there, about $500,000.”

Max has so far been undergoing 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 has spent three years being in and out of hospital every other day,’ she said.

“It’s pretty unfortunate that most mornings he wakes up and he says, ‘do I have to go to hospital today?’ where most kids would say, ‘do I have to go to school today?’

“He’s obviously very immunosuppressed at the moment, but try to do some of the things he loves in a safe way.”

Just over a week ago, Max and his family came to watch his favorite football team, the Brisbane Broncos, and met the players in the dressing room.

‘It was just unbelievable. He was just so excited about it,’ Mrs Robinson said.

While Max and his seven-year-old brother, Jack, have been partially shielded from the severity of Max’s diagnosis due to their age, Mrs Robinson and her partner, Andy, have been on a ‘rocky journey’.

“I think we unconsciously take turns as to who’s going to break down and the other one kind of holds it together and picks things up,” Ms Robinson said.

‘I think last year, the first relapse probably hit me the worst. While this one, it has been the opposite.

‘The biggest thing for us is being a family unit. The more time we can spend together, the better.’

She added that Jack has played a big role in keeping her brother’s spirits high throughout his treatments.

‘Jack is pretty incredible. HI was only four when Max was first diagnosed so we didn’t really go into the details straight away about what happened,’ said Mrs Robinson.

‘We never really talked about how there was a chance (Max’s treatment) wasn’t going to work so when it came back Jack was again quite confused because he thought it was done.

‘He’s been quite strong, he’s a very supportive brother.’

Max’s treatment in Singapore is expected to take between two and three months.

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

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