The parents of Oscar Saxelby-Lee say they are “petrified” as they head to Singapore for potentially life-saving treatment as he battles leukaemia.

The Worcester five-year-old will have CAR-T treatment after the community helped raise £500,000 and more to cover the cost.

Oscar’s mum Olivia Saxelby said: "Oscar is continuing to fight, but his disease hasn’t responded greatly to the DLI (treatment in the UK involving a top up of donor cells) he was given.

"It kept his disease level down to an extent, but it’s not what we had wished.

"It’s taken a few days to come to decision, not only because of the results, but the difficulty in knowing whether each option will cure him.

"All we want to do is the ‘right’ thing by our baby. So in the next few days we shall be on the plane to Singapore.

"We are scared, we are petrified, we just don’t know if this is the best option, but what we do know is Oscar was given this chance, and we must go for it before it’s too late."

In a post on their Facebook page, the family said: “Often we sit, no talk is needed, no eye contact is needed, just tears. Just that time to grieve. It’s not often but it happens. It happens because all we wish for is a ‘normal’, happy life without our baby suffering.

“Being strong, remaining positive is absolutely our way of coping but sometimes we do have to be realistic.

“All we want to do is the ‘right’ thing by our baby. Yet that is not something that you can’t determine during these traumatic times.”

READ MORE: Oscar's appeal hits £500,000

Dr Jen Kelly, director of the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust said: "The team at the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust are proud to have been able to help support Oscar Saxelby-Lee and his parents, Olivia and Jamie through the most incredible fundraising campaign.

"We would like to wish them the very best of luck on this next step of their journey and to say we are rooting for Oscar all the way.

"The funds are ready, but we are currently working hard to sort the final details for the funding of Oscar's treatment and are awaiting on the final paperwork from Singapore before transfers can take place.

"When this is received, we will be ready and waiting.

"Thank you so much to the people of Worcestershire for working together to help us give this wonderful little boy this chance.

"Grace’s legacy was a wish to help other children, and we are so proud to have been able to help support Oscar’s family in this way.

"We will continue to be in close contact with the family, helping where ever we can."

In just over three weeks, kind people and organisations from across the country raised more than £500,000 through events and donations to send Oscar to Singapore for his potentially life-saving treatment.

Oscar’s parents had pleaded for help to raise the cash after being told that, despite a bone marrow transplant, Oscar’s T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia had returned and no other treatment options were available on the NHS.

They were told his only hope was to try expensive CAR-T cell therapy, currently only available in Singapore, and a second bone marrow transplant.

In March this year, more than 4,000 people attended Pitmaston Primary School to be tested to see if they were a stem cell donor match for Oscar.