A Belgian family who set up a text campaign to raise money to pay for the cancer treatment of their toddler will be fully reimbursed by the government, with the money raised donated to charity.
On Monday, the family of 18-month old Mathis said a text campaign set up in the hopes of raising enough money to pay for the immunotherapy treatment needed by their child had already raised thousands of euros.
The campaign for baby Mathis was launched following the mass success encountered by a separate million-euro campaign set up for a sick toddler suffering from a degenerative genetic condition.
The therapy needed to treat Mathis, who suffers from neuroblastoma, is called antiGD2 and it is not yet refunded by national health insurance.
The family decided to launch the campaign after the Special Solidarity Fund, which manages exceptional health-related refunds, told them their child's treatment could be reimbursed "in principle."
After raising thousands of euros, the family were told by a federal social security body (RIZIV/NIHDI) that they didn't need to worry about the "in principle" provision, according to reports by HLN.
"The invoices for the immune therapy will be reimbursed in full, with no remittances for the families," Jo De Cock of the RIZIV said, referring to eight other families also concerned by the treatment.
The money raised by the text message campaign will be kept by the Children's Cancer Support Fund, according to the outlet, and distributed among families whose children are also ill.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
