The world of a Hertfordshire family was turned upside down twice in the space of a few months, first by their young son's shocking cancer diagnosis and then by his mother's own.
A Mother's Instinct and a Devastating Diagnosis
In March 2025, Raffi Starkowitz, a cheeky and fun-loving four-year-old from Barley, Hertfordshire, began walking unsteadily. His parents, Nikki, 46, and Neil, 47, initially thought little of it until they received a call from his nursery. Staff were concerned he was leaning heavily to one side.
After a visit to their GP and a referral to A&E, initial blood tests came back normal. However, Nikki's decision to show doctors a video of Raffi walking normally proved crucial. This prompted medical staff to recommend an MRI scan.
"When I was in the MRI room with Raffi, they came in halfway and gave him contrast," recalled Nikki, who is a nurse. "As a nurse, I knew that you only give contrast when you see something on the scan. From that point, I knew it was something serious."
Her fears were confirmed five days later. Doctors delivered the devastating news that Raffi had a brain tumour. "When we got the news, we felt like someone had punched us in the chest," the couple shared.
An Aggressive Battle and a New Hope
Raffi's condition deteriorated rapidly. He underwent a successful 10-hour operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital to remove the tumour. Despite this and two initial rounds of chemotherapy, the family received another blow: the cancer had spread.
The little boy then endured six weeks of radiotherapy in June 2025, suffering brutal side effects including sickness, fatigue, and hair loss. Thankfully, by September, scans showed no visible signs of the disease.
Yet, the family's ordeal was far from over. Just five months after Raffi's diagnosis, Nikki discovered an unusual mark on her breast. She was later diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, with three tumours. She has since undergone a mastectomy and is currently receiving chemotherapy.
A Race Against Time for a Pioneering Treatment
Despite Raffi's clear scans, the risk of his cancer, a high-risk medulloblastoma, returning is very high. With no preventative treatments available in the UK, his parents looked abroad.
They discovered a clinical trial in the United States for a drug called difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). After writing to every participating American hospital, Penn State Children's Hospital in Pennsylvania offered Raffi a place.
To fund the treatment, travel, and accommodation, Nikki and Neil started a GoFundMe page with a target of £300,000. They have been overwhelmed by the public's generosity, having already raised more than £200,000.
"You have given our little boy a real chance at life, and we will never forget it," the couple expressed on their fundraising page. The family hopes to travel to the US by the end of January 2026, continuing their fight for Raffi's tomorrow.
