Oscar Saxelby-Lee, a five-year-old boy from Worcester with leukaemia, is using robot-like technology to remotely attend Pitmaston Primary School. AV1, the "robot" tablet, allows Oscar to take lessons, talk with peers, and participate in classroom activities from his hospital bed, Worcester News reports.
Oscar, who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in December, was told that he had just three months to find a stem cell donor. As a result, his school held a gathering in March to find a donor for the child. 5,000 people showed up, three of which were matches for Oscar.
Oscar has just received his bone marrow transplant and is resting at Birmingham's Children Hospital. He continues to take lessons on his tablet that the Grace Kelly Childhood Childhood Cancer Trust gifted it to him as a trial project.
Oscar can now communicate with the adorable "Oscar-bot", which allows him to talk with his friends and teachers, and take part in activities.
Jen Kelly of the Grace Kelly trust says that it's been an honor to work with Oscar's school and further reach the surrounding community:
"Since we announced this on social media, we have been approached by two other families in Worcester. Their children also have cancer and are hugely isolated. They are hoping that we can help their children too. We know that there are a number of other children in a similar situation as there are up to 25 children diagnosed every year in Worcestershire alone."
The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust works to raise awareness, fund research, provide resources and support the families of the 4,000 children and young adults in the UK that are diagnosed with cancer every year.
The Grace Kelly trust hopes to expand their reach to children other than Oscar with the Tesco Bags of Help Centenary program. Starting in July, Tesco customers can vote for a non-profit community project, such as this one. The project with the most votes receives a grant up to £25,000.
The Grace Kelly trust would use this funding to purchase AV1 robots for children like Oscar to have as normal of a schooling experience as possible. It costs £900 for a child to use an AV1 robot for three months. If you wish to sponsor someone like Oscar, email [email protected] for more details, or donate at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/av1gkcct.