CANCER battler Sam Shaw will have his first stateside appointment in Philadelphia on October 21.

The four-year-old from Hoddlesden has this week started radiotherapy ahead of the trip to America for immunotherapy treatment.

The treatment is crucial to the youngster’s chances of survival and is only available in the US.

People across East Lancashire touched by the Glencoe Avenue boy’s plight raised £250,000 to ensure the treatment could take place.

Mum Christine said she was pleased the time had finally come.

She said: “Six months ago we couldn’t have imagined being at this point, so to finally be at this stage is good.

“Sam finishes his radiotherapy on October 18 and we will fly out that weekend. I have been to the US embassy in London to get the visas because we are staying for more than 90 days, so it is all falling into place.”

Sam started radiotherapy on Tuesday, but Christine said the sessions were not as gruelling as the chemotherapy he had to go through.

She said: “He is doing really well and is full of energy and fun.

“He got over the first sessions of radiotherapy but it is not as bad as the chemotherapy.

“The treatment is at The Christie in Manchester and we just take him in and come home on the day, so he loves being able to come back home. He has been so brave as usual. He has to be in the room on his own and he isn’t allowed to move, but he takes it all in his stride.”

With the immunotherapy treatment coming up, Mrs Shaw said she had started to read up on the procedure.

She said: “There are a lot of risks with this and it is only now I have been starting to read all the literature about the treatment.

“There are a lot of complications that can happen but we just hope Sam continues as he has and battles through it.”