Girl suffers stage 4 cancer relapse days before 3rd birthday, family faces $1.3m bill: 'We see a little girl, not a number'

An Indonesian family is appealing for donations to help their three-year-old daughter continue receiving treatment for stage 4 cancer, which relapsed just days before her third birthday.

Leticia Briella Magaline is receiving treatment at KK Women's and Children's Hospital after doctors discovered in June 2026 that her neuroblastoma — an aggressive form of childhood cancer — had returned, just months after scans gave the all clear.

The relapse was discovered just three days before her third birthday, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Her family is now appealing for donations to fund further treatment, including chemo-immunotherapy, which her doctors have recommended as the next step.

Diagnosed at 20 months old 

Leticia was just two months shy of her second birthday when she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in April last year, and doctors told her parents that she may have only six months to live.

Desperate to save their daughter, her parents brought her to Singapore for treatment, leaving their two sons, aged five and eight, in their hometown under their grandparents' care.

In Singapore, Leticia reportedly underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and other intensive procedures, including a 14-hour operation to remove a tumour measuring about 12cm and a bone marrow transplant. 

In February 2026, the family received encouraging news when scans showed no signs of cancer. 

But the relief was short-lived. During a follow-up in June, doctors discovered that the cancer had returned.

It has now put more strain on the family's finances, and they are now raising funds to pay for her ongoing treatment.

Parents sell home and car to fund treatment 

In an update on Give.Asia, the family said the expanded treatment plan could cost an additional $1.3 million.

Their previous fundraising campaign raised $439,000.

Despite selling their home and car and borrowing money from the bank, Leticia's parents are still struggling to cover the mounting medical bills.

"It is an overwhelming amount for any family to face. But when we look at Leticia, we try not to see the number first — we see a little girl," the family wrote. 

"A little girl who has already endured chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, scans, procedures and countless days in hospital. And most importantly, a little girl who is still responding to treatment and still has a chance to keep fighting."

More than $963,800 has been raised to date.

AsiaOne has reached out to Give.Asia for more information. 

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