Celebrations as High Peak teenager finishes two-year cancer trial in America - after community raised £110,000

Peter Berriman was first diagnosed with intermediate risk neuroblastoma in January 2019. His tumour caused a spinal cord injury which left him with no movement or sensation in his lower body.

He completed his treatment in February 2020 but in August 2020, Peter’s cancer relapsed, this time as metastatic high risk neuroblastoma.

He was offered the chance to take part in a two-year trial at a cost of £150,000.

The community raised £110,000 and last January he flew to America to start his drug trial.

Now he has finished his trial and his mum, Mandy says all the scans are good again and his treatment is over.

She said: “I thought our luck had run out, I thought the scans would show that his tumour was still active and I was so anxious.

“Peter finished his trial at the end of January but we had to wait for the scan results and I didn’t want to talk about it because I didn’t want to tempt fate.

“But for now this chapter of his life has ended and we couldn’t be happier.”

The community raised £110,000 for Peter to take part in this new clinical drug trial which saw him take five pills morning and night for two years.

Mandy said: “I don’t think I will ever be able to express my thanks for what the community did for us.

“We raised £150,000 in nine months, which still doesn’t seem real.

“And it’s not just the money, it's meeting new people who have become friends along the way, people who stop me in the street and ask how Peter is doing and helping out however they can.

“I will always be grateful.”

The family found out the amazing news on Wednesday February, 7 and say it still has not sunk in.

Mandy, who lives in Chinley, said: “The past two years have gone so quickly.

“I think that is because Peter has been so much better than he has been before.

“There has been less hospital stays, less treatments which made him feel ill and because of that we have been able to be a family and do things together.

“It has felt normal.

“Which is why I was so concerned about these final scans because I didn’t want to have all our hopes shattered.”

At the end of the trial, there were scans and appointments and medical professionals have agreed with all the previous scans and that Peter is still showing as No Evidence of Active Disease.

Mandy said: “This is the end of the chapter, it's not the not the end of story as there will be monitoring scans and check ups for the foreseeable future but to be where we are now after everything we have been through is truly amazing.”

She says Peter wants to go back to Manchester Children’s hospital and ring the bell to signify the end of his treatment.

Mandy also says there are so many people she wants to thank in the community but for now she wants to celebrate with a family meal.