AMIR Khan has welcomed a three-year-old boy fighting a rare form of cancer to his gym.
Oliver Welch, from Blackburn, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma on his third birthday back in June.
He is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital but his family say immunotherapy is crucial to treating his condition as it would boost his natural defence.
The family said doctors told them their son had missed out on an immunotherapy trial by just two weeks, after his diagnosis missed the deadline.
However, it is not available on the NHS and the family were initially told it would cost in the region of £200,000 to pay for, but that figure has since risen drastically to £750,000. So far, they have raised £110,000.
Yesterday, the youngster was invited to Gloves Community Centre with grandparents, Mandy and John, so that Khan could raise awareness of the appeal after reading of his plight in the Lancashire Telegraph.
Mandy Welch said: “We got in touch to try and get some memorabilia. Amir has donated some gloves and we need all the help we can get around stuff like that for fundraising.”
Despite his condition, Oliver seemed in cheerful spirits as he had his picture taken with Amir as well as fellow boxers Anthony Crolla, Sam Hyde, and Scott Cardle, all of whom train at the gym.
Mrs Welch added: “The treatments take it out of him but he is not doing too badly in between. He is coping really well, but it is hard because he can’t mix with other children in case of infection.”
Of the visit, Khan said: “We got a call from his family asking if we could meet him and get the word out on the illness and how we can help.
“I changed my training time to the afternoon so I could see Oliver and what a beautiful kid he is. I’ve got a three-year-old myself and it does upset me how some kids have illnesses.
“I enjoy meeting kids like that, it puts a smile on their face. They are going through pain and misery in their life and I want to be there for them.”
