Published Monday, 03 September 2012
Thousands of people have been following Wee Oscar's progress on Twitter. (© Family photo)
Nearly £2,000 was raised for the little boy, who is battling a rare form of cancer, at an event in Omagh on Friday night - but over half the money was stolen in an overnight break-in.
"The girl who had organised the fundraiser, she was totally distraught and didn't know how to tell us," Oscar's dad Stephen told UTV.
"We were disgusted that somebody would do that, knowing what the money was for.
"They would have known. Somebody has seen an opportunity - they've obviously been keeping an eye and knew there would be a bit of money in the house that night."
We've been absolutely working our socks off to try to raise this money for him.
Oscar's dad Stephen
All the money being raised for the little boy, known affectionately as just Wee Oscar, is going towards taking him abroad for vital treatment that isn't available locally.
Fortunately for the family, an anonymous donor came forward to put up the money.
But after that, the missing money was also recovered when an envelope with Oscar's name on it was placed in a church in Omagh.
"We don't know for sure that it was the thief, but we can only assume they had a change of heart when they heard about the public outcry," Stephen said.
Oscar is thought to be the only child to ever be diagnosed with first Jacobsen Syndrome (an extremely rare chromosome disorder) and then the form of cancer Neuroblastoma, with the odds being about ten billion to one.
People from across all walks of life - from Olympic boxer Paddy Barnes to Linfield boss David Jeffrey, the Northern Ireland football team to the Belfast Giants, and from Westlife stars to Made in Chelsea's Spencer Matthews - have been helping with fund-raising efforts.
"We just absolutely have to get him this treatment to give him the best chance," Oscar's dad said. "Everyone who has helped us out, we really, really appreciate it."