A mother has launched a desperate appeal to obtain funding for a drug for her cancer-stricken son.

Joanne Sykes has called on members of the public to help fund her son Stephen’s treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Stephen Sykes, a trombone player and a conductor, found out he had the blood cancer in February last year.

Stephen Sykes, a trombone player and a conductor who suffers from Hodgkin lymphoma (Family handout/PA)Stephen Sykes, a trombone player and a conductor who suffers from Hodgkin lymphoma (Family handout/PA)

After various attempts at different chemotherapy drugs, medics have told the 26-year-old from Shepton Mallet in Somerset that he needs to start a treatment of immunotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant.

But the treatment recommended by his doctors at Royal United Hospital in Bath is not currently available on the NHS.

Earlier this month, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) called for Bristol-Myers Squibb, who manufacture nivolumab (Opdivo), to provide more information on its drug’s effectiveness for treating classical Hodgkin lymphoma before it makes a decision on whether to routinely approve the drug for NHS use in England.

But Mr Sykes’ medics have recommended that he starts the treatment in the next two to three weeks.

It is possible for clinicians to submit an Individual Funding Request for their patients to receive cancer treatments which have not been appraised by NICE or are not currently available via the Cancer Drugs Fund.

But Mrs Sykes, a 46-year-old school music teacher, said she had not been made aware of the individual funding scheme adding that her son needed to start treatment urgently.

Sting with Stephen Sykes (right) (Family handout/PA)Sting with Stephen Sykes (right) (Family handout/PA)

“Stephen has not got time to wait,” she told the Press Association. “His cancer is very aggressive and he needs to start treatment right away.”

It is hoped that Mr Sykes, who comes from a musical family, can raise £90,000 to fund 12 months of the treatment.

Mrs Sykes has set up a GoFundMe page asking for help from the public.

“Consultants have told us that we will need to raise the funds required to purchase the treatment that Stephen needs to give him the real prospect of becoming well again,” Mrs Sykes wrote on the page.

“Stephen just wants to get back to normal life – planning his future with Lucy, working, playing his trombone and his guitar, conducting and walking his dog Bruno.”

After the drug treatment Mr Sykes will need a stem cell treatment. His family have also launched a campaign calling for people to sign up to become stem cell donors.

Lisa Nugent, head of donor recruitment at the blood cancer charity DKMS, said: “Only one in three people with a blood cancer in the UK and in need of a lifesaving blood stem cell transplant will be lucky enough to find a suitable match within their own family. Finding a match from a genetically similar person can offer the best treatment, a second chance of life and that’s why DKMS is fully supporting Stephen’s search.

Mrs Sykes’ appeal can be found here.