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Levi's War Against Cancer

The Story:
Levi Michael Krodel was diagnosed with cancer on April 29th, 2015. We had noticed a lump on his neck about 6 weeks prior, and had taken him to the doctor. At the time it was believed to be an infection in a lymph node, not uncommon in children. After weeks of antibiotics and no improvement, Levi was taken into surgery for a biopsy on April 28th. The next morning we received a call from the hospital informing us that it was a cancerous tumor. Levi was immediately taken to Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, where it was further determined that he had Neuroblastoma, an extremely rare form of cancer, but the most common one found in children under 2. Typically there are only about 650 cases a year. 

After a battery of tests it was decided that since the tumor was too large to operate on, and because it is in such a delicate area of the neck (pressing against a major artery and his windpipe), he should start Chemotherapy immediately. Levi spent 5 days in the hospital, 1 day mostly testing, 1 day in surgery to put in a central line, and 3 days receiving doses of Chemo. It is expected that Levi will need at least 4 months worth of treatments, if all goes well.

The best news we had was that Penn State's Four Diamonds fund would be picking up all of Levi's medical expenses. This was a huge burden taken off of our shoulders, and a wonderful gift. However, that did not completely fix our coming financial struggle....

The reason for funding:
Levi is home now, and that is a blessing. However, due to the various medicine's that must be administered, maintenance of his central line, and general love and care needed for a little child on Chemo, his mother April is leaving the workforce to be his caretaker. The simple truth is this: we cannot meet our monthly expenses without her income. We're doing everything we can to reduce our expenses, but no matter how we rework the budget, we are unable to make ends meet. 

After much prodding from friends, we decided to look to others for help. I have set the goal at $7,000 as that would cover our deficit for the rest of this year. We are staying positive that Levi will win this war against cancer and will be cured by the end of the year, at which point April could return to work. All of the money raised will used to pay the bills we cannot cover while April is not working. Truly, every dollar raised will be accepted with great joy and thanks, regardless of the end amount. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your support, and for helping us provide a stable home for Levi while he combats cancer.

If you would like to make a donation to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation, please visit http://www.cncfhope.org/

Questions? Please contact me using the "Contact" button below.

Organizer

Ryan Krodel
Organizer
Glen Rock, PA

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