We are excited to announce our next beneficiary and know that with your help, we can do so much good for them!
In May of 2020, Charlie Mae was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, medulloblastoma, at only 3 years old. Thankfully it was caught early on and was, at that time, a small tumor the size of a large grape in her cerebellum. It was removed entirely and she started treatment shortly after. She endured 12 months of treatment consisting of high dose chemotherapy, chemotherapy directly into her spinal fluid, and lower dose maintenance chemotherapy.
At her very first post-treatment MRI only 3 months out from ringing the bell, the MRI showed the cancer had returned and coated half of her brain and her spine. Her family was told they only had a possible 4-6 months with her left, even with treatment.
They started targeted radiation therapy to the diseased parts of her brain and spine and were able to get the cancer under control for about 4 months until a scan showed the cancer had taken over the remaining portion of her brain. They made the very difficult decision to radiate the remaining portion and were able to get the cancer under control once again.
After the radiation was complete, she started a very tolerable and low dose chemotherapy regimen that kept her cancer at bay for about 7 months when they noticed a spot in her brain started lighting up again. It continued to slowly grow over time, so they switched the plan a little bit and it continued to grow despite their efforts. The team then decided it would be best to treat the spot with a very precise radiation treatment called gamma knife. That spot has remained stable since then, but there is now leptomeningeal disease in the front left portion of her brain that is continuing to spread. This spread has caused unknown “episodes” of aphasia, ataxia, confusion, and pain. They are suspecting either complex migraines or seizures, but are still unsure of what is going on.
They are now opting for a more aggressive approach of treatment which has meant more time in the hospital. After her first dose of high dose chemo, she had a traumatic nosebleed incident where she lost a significant amount of blood, contracted norovirus, and in turn caused the biggest “episode” she’s ever had to recover from. This treatment is not expected to “cure” Charlie, but to give her family more time with her. There is no “end of treatment” to look forward to.
With the new treatment requiring more time inpatient at the hospital and with the complications that have come about, Charlie’s mom, Taylor, has taken a step away from her business to fully care for Charlie and her two younger sons Jackson and Theodore. In combination of going to a one income household, medical debt, and the expenses that come with spending more time at their treating hospital that’s 2.5 hours away, their family is experiencing financial hardship all while trying to keep Charlie’s cancer controlled.
They don’t know what the future holds, so they’re holding on to every moment with their girl. Let’s help them focus on being together as a family and make the best memories with their Charlie girl.
For every share and follow we get on our Instagram account, we will donate $1 up to our $25,000 goal! You also can help by liking, sharing, and engaging with our content or using our coupon codes and affiliate links to shop! We will be donating 50% of all commission earned directly to Charlie and her family. For more information on how all of this will work, head to our about page or check out the video on the home page of our website!
