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Lio's Medical Fund

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The Battle Continues...

A little over one year ago, Lio started to have headaches. The kind of headaches that a two and a half year old should not ever have. The kind that quickly escalated from the ER to Children's Hospital where Lio recieved a diagnosis that changed everything. Lio's scans revealed two tumors in the left quadrant of his brain; it was cancer. 

Over the past year, Lio endured countless scans, hearing checks, lab tests, surgeries, chemotherapy, stemcell harvesting and many other medical interventions that come with pediatric cancer. For months, home was the oncology unit. When he was finally able to sleep in his own bed, his parents circled it nightly watching for signs of sickness or fevers that would send them racing back to the hospital. 

Finally, with several clean MRI's, Lio got to be a child again. He attended birthday parties, played T-ball, went swimming and camping, and he even got to go back to preschool. His hair grew back over the scar on his head and aside from the hearing aids he now wore, brain cancer  started to seem like a memory.That is, until July of 2017 when a routine MRI revealed a growth. The cancer has come back and so has a long list of clinical next steps starting with radiation treatment. 

Aside from unimaginable pain and heart break, cancer has placed a financial burden on this family that they could not have prepared for. Instead of going to work, saving for college or paying for swimming lessons, Lio's family is trying to maintian life's expenses while managing the extrodinary cost for the treatment to save his life and the uncertainty of care afterwards. 

This family is very dear to our hearts and it is difficult to know just how to help. Raising money to pay some of their bills so they can focus on what is really important will have a major positive impact. Lio Bartholomew Ortega is strong and will win this battle, so let's help him fight it. Please consider donating, no amount is too small. They really need our help to get through this. 

No One Fights Alone 

To keep us informed about his progress,  a Caring Bridge account has been created. Kirsten and her family will update it as often as they can throughout this difficult time.  

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/teamlio/journal/view/id/56d1d7e14db9218b4c0afd14
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Donations 

  • Sara Howard
    • $50 
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Rachel Haddock
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
kirsten ortega
Beneficiary

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