Newcastle family desperate for Christmas miracle to save five-year-old son's life

A Newcastle family is praying for a Christmas miracle as their five-year-old son awaits approval for life-saving treatment overseas.

Only weeks ago Teddy was diagnosed with a highly aggressive, grade four brain cancer called medulloblastoma.

He has since had surgery to remove the tumour, but needs ongoing chemotherapy and radiation to save his life.

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Ted's specialists believe proton radiation therapy, only available overseas, is the best treatment course moving forward, but getting the five-year-old approved for funding takes six weeks.

That approval process hit another bump in the road with government offices closing over Christmas and into the new year, Teddy's parents Robbie and Beth Marchmont told A Current Affair.

"The only thing getting in the way of some life-changing care for our Ted is some red tape," Mr Marchmont said.

"[He] needs to start treatment urgently otherwise it will relapse and he won't make it, so the timing is imperative.

"Children with life-threatening illnesses, like Teddy, don't have six weeks to wait," Mrs Marchmont.

The Marchmonts are pleading with Health Minister Mark Butler and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to approve Ted's paperwork. They've been forced to self-fund the trip to the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, Florida, for treatment.

"If it wasn't so close to Christmas, if it wasn't this particular type of cancer we could afford to wait around, but unfortunately Ted's not given that grace," Mr Marchmont said.

"We just need to go regardless and hope that the logistics fall into place while we're over there."

The family has set up a GoFundMe to help afford Ted's treatment and to raise awareness for his illness.

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