A lad is hoping to raise £300,000 for his best friend's life-saving cancer treatment - after they both got the deadly disease months apart.

Danilo Talic, 13, whose cancer is now in remission, is helping raise the huge sum for Jamie Covington, 14, so he can enter a groundbreaking medical trial in Germany.

Jamie was diagnosed with rare Rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer, in May 2023, while Danilo was found to have Non-Hodgkin lymphoma just two months later.

The pair both attend Hinchingbrooke School in Huntingdon, Cambs., but only became firm friends while receiving treatment in the same ward at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

And while Danilo was given the all-clear in September last year, Jamie got the sad news that his cancer had returned in May.

Danilo has now vowed to help his close pal fight the disease by raising as much money as possible for him through sponsored events.

He said: "It means a lot, just the fact that I get to help him."

"On the ward, our relationship definitely improved. It just felt so good to have someone understand me, being in the same shoes pretty much at the same time."

"It feels good to do this because I know that it will make him better. It just really improves my confidence in him."

Jamie praised his pal's fundraising effort - calling it an "amazing gesture"."

He said: "It was so helpful having another friend with me in the hospital that I could spend time with - and play table tennis and Xbox. "

"It was comforting having someone you knew on the ward, and it made things a bit easier. "

"I want to say a huge thank you to Danilo now for helping me to raise this money. It's an amazing gesture."

Jamie's mum Sam Covington, 49, was also full of praise for Danilo's support during her son's time of need.

She added: "It's incredible really. What a kind, nice thing to do for your friend. "

"He could have just got on with things, but he's a nice kid and a lovely boy and good enough friend, so he turned around and said, ‘I'm really worried about Jamie and I really want to do everything I can to help him'."

"It's overwhelming and incredible. It just shows what a lovely lad he is."

Mum of two Sam, who was previously a marketing manager but is now Jamie's full-time carer, had hoped he would recover following lengthy treatment.

His cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma, affects the soft tissue in the body, such as the muscles, and connective tissue, including the tendons or cartilage.

But after Jamie's cancer went into remission late last year, tests revealed it had tragically returned in May - with further NHS treatment unlikely to cure it.

Sam then set about researching alternative options and found a trial for an immunotherapy vaccine treatment in Germany, which could help him.

However, she also discovered her family would need to raise £300,000 to cover the costs, which included hospital care, airfares and accommodation.

Sam said: "When Jamie relapsed, the NHS said we can give him treatment, but we don't know how long it's going to work for and the cancer could come back."

"So we started off our own backs looking at trials. It was actually my nephew who found a trial in Germany, which he may be a good fit for."

"It's quite a lot of money – it's £300,000 – to cover his treatment and travel costs to Germany."

"But obviously because of his prognosis, we're in quite a hurry to get things moving and try and get him on the trial."

Sam said Danilo had been "instrumental" in helping to raise the cash they needed, with their fundraiser currently standing at over £90,000."

And she felt his efforts were reflective of the friendship that the two lads had forged while they were in hospital together.

Sam said: "Having been on the same ward together and having treatment, they got to know each other very well, and they formed a special and close bond."

"They both lost all their hair and had the common symptoms that you have when you undergo chemo, so they were a real support for each other. "

"Jamie was quite shy and prudish before this, but having gone through some of the horrific things he's been through, it's like they don't get embarrassed talking about it anymore."

"They can make light of the situation, and joke about things. It's good they can talk to each other in that way."

Sam said the pair had previously competed in a 'race for life' event to raise money for Cancer Research.

But she said her family was now in a ‘race against time' to find the money they needed so that Jamie could enter the trial as quickly as possible.

Visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/life-saving-cancer-treatment-for-jamie?attribution_id=sl:adc4368a-cf07-4f86-9efc-ccb988f0459a&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet_ai&utm_content=amp9v2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link to donate to the fundraiser.