Corporal Rick Freeman and his wife Sian were taking their 10 year old daughter, Abbie, on a birthday trip to London when she started to experience pain in her knees. After a number of medical tests, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
The financial cost of Abbie's treatment was the last thing on Rick and Sian's minds - they were only concerned with the welfare of their daughter. However, over the next few months, Abbie required surgery to fit a replacement prosthetic knee and she underwent an extensive course of chemotherapy, during which she stayed in hospital miles from their home at RAF Cranwell. Needless to say, the travelling and accommodation costs were significant.
The RAFBF acted rapidly to grant financial assistance towards these expenses and meet the cost of a specialist bed. Although Abbie's road to recovery has been a long one, the whole family are now looking forward to the future.
Rick explains, "Abbie is now 12 years old and had her last chemotherapy treatment on New Year's Eve. Since then she has been going from strength to strength. We recently visited Euro Disney - since she has been stuck in a hospital for the last two years we are making up for lost time.
"I have contributed to the Benevolent Fund since I joined the RAF twenty years ago. It never occurred to me that a person in my situation could receive help, but we are very grateful that the Fund was there when we needed them."
For more information about help with meeting unforeseen expenses caused by serious illness, please see How we can help | Financial need | Emergency needs.
