The mother of a dying schoolboy was told by a cancer charity boss to save money by operating on her son with a syringe, it was claimed yesterday.
Mitchell Huth was just seven when he lost his gruelling battle with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer.
Four months before his death, he went to the Hope For Cancer clinic in Tijunana, Mexico, where he met Fraserburgh schoolgirl Olivia Downie, who was receiving treatment for the same disease.
Both families had turned to the charity Families Against Neuroblastoma (FAN) to help raise funds for the children’s care.
Yesterday, the Press and Journal revealed that Olivia’s parents and other families had filed complaints about FAN to the Charity Commission, sparking a major investigation.
The Norfolk-based charity has now had its bank account frozen and CEO Linza Corp has resigned.
The commission said the focus of its investigation was concerns about a “lack of proper governance structure” and complaints that parents were unable to access money that was raised by the public in the names of their children.
Mitchell’s mum Kristal, from Hornchurch in East London, said yesterday she started to “smell a rat” when she asked for money, which had been raised for her son, to be used to help Olivia. Her request was declined, even though the charity had about £70,000 in Mitchell’s name which he no longer needed.
She said when she questioned Mrs Corp about the remaining funds, she was ignored.
In an online post, Mrs Huth said she helped set up a group for other families that had been affected by the charity.
“To our surprise, the group just grew,” she said. “We involved the charity commissioners and the investigation started.
“We had to supply copies of every single conversation with the charity. We got bad named amongst certain families and have been made to look like trouble makers, but we were only trying to protect another family going through the hell we have.”
She alleged that Mrs Corp, who founded the charity, had told her to save money – and not dip into FAN funds – by burying her boy in a wicker basket. On another occasion, Mrs Corp suggested trying to remove Mitchell’s tumour with a syringe, it is alleged.
Mrs Corp could not be reached for comment and all inquiries to FAN are being directed to charter accountancy firm Baker Tilly Restructuring and Recovery, which has been appointed as interim managers to control funds.