Dad who raised €600k for leukaemia treatment switches trial focus to China

Updated 6.40pm

A father who raised €600,000 to take part in a medical trial in Singapore to treat his rare form of leukaemia will instead receive treatment in China.The change comes amid escalating costs and a last-minute demand for additional payment by an air ambulance provider.

Sandro Grech, 41, a father of two young girls, will be flown to Beijing by air ambulance next week, where he will undergo treatment, his wife Abigail Borg announced in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Borg said plans to be treated in Singapore’s National University Hospital were abandoned after hospital fees rose well beyond the €500,000 initially quoted.

She told Times of Malta that the family was told treatment in Singapore would end up costing over €1 million.

“Despite all the support we received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consular Services Department, and even the Maltese consul in Singapore, we decided that this path was no longer realistic,” Borg said.

With the assistance of the Acute Leukaemia Advocacy Network, the family was able to identify an alternative option in China, where Grech will receive the same treatment that had been planned in Singapore.

She said her husband was recently discharged from Mater Dei Hospital after being treated for an infection and is now fit to travel. 

However, the family is now facing a new challenge after the air ambulance provider EMS Air Ambulance & Medical Repatriation Ltd requested an additional €80,000 on top of the €148,650 they had already paid.

Borg explained that she had contacted the UK company and outlined Grech’s medical condition, stating that he requires an air ambulance to travel to China in case he needs oxygen during the journey.

After receiving a quote, Borg paid a deposit on Thursday and subsequently sent Grech’s medical records, as requested by the company. The full amount was paid on Friday.

However, Borg said that shortly after settling the bill, she received a phone call on Friday from EMS informing her that an additional €80,000 would be required, as Grech needed a larger aircraft.

“They told us that if we do not pay the €80,000, they would cancel the service and refuse to refund the €150,000 already paid,” she said.

“I spent sleepless nights worrying about getting Sandro to Beijing on time and fearing that I would lose all this money. I feel cheated. No sick patient should be treated this way,” Borg added.

“It’s a very scary situation, and it’s the last thing we needed. You would expect companies like this to handle such cases as smoothly as possible.”

In an email seen by Times of Malta, EMS told Borg: "The additional €80,000 reflects the difference between the originally proposed smaller aircraft and the medically required larger-class aircraft."

Questions were sent to EMS on Saturday morning, but the company has yet to respond.

Shadow Finance Minister Adrian Delia called on the government, his PN colleagues "and anyone who has the power to help" to find a solution.

"I am appealing to common sense so that this story can be brought to a positive conclusion. Above all, I expect the company that was meant to provide the service to honour the original agreement and stop putting further pressure on this family," Delia wrote on Facebook.

The couple thanked all those who had contributed to the crowdfunding.

“Again, on behalf of Sandro and our family, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the crowdfunding. Thanks also to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health, Community Malta, and everyone who prayed for us and helped us in one way or another, for giving Sandro the greatest chance to recover and enjoy time with his children,” she said.

Over the past three years, Grech has undergone intensive chemotherapy and two bone marrow transplants from his brother. Doctors later informed him that his only remaining chance of survival was participation in a highly specialised CD7 CAR-T clinical trial in Singapore.

A fundraiser was launched on December 11 to help cover the cost of this treatment, with the family seeking €500,000.

Within two days, by December 13, the €500,000 target had been reached, after the government contributed €250,000, adding to the €350,000 raised from the public.

Contemporary artist James Vella Clarke also offered one of his latest paintings for a silent auction to support the fundraiser, with bids starting at €1,000.