It has been a little over one year since my nephew, my godson, and my hero was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It has been a year of ups ans downs, laughter and certainly lots of tears. But through it all, Colton has continued to fight like a warrior!!! He is surrounded by family and friends that offer love, strength, and most importantly prayers.

Colton continues his medical treatment which includes several chemotherapy drugs, lab draws, lumbar punctures, and bone marrow biopsies. This will continue until at least January 2023. His medical bills continue to come as well. Last year we were able to raise $9100 through this fund. Please help us to make the next year even better and help us reach the $10,000 mark!!!

Lastly, I'll leave you with my sister-in-law's words as she, my brother, Hayden and Olivia have lived in this rollercoaster of emotions world for the last year.

"A year ago...The days immediately following diagnosis were overwhelming, we were in shock and scared. I will never forget leaving the hospital for the first time to pick up clothes and a few toiletries we needed. I went to Costco and could not hold back the tears as I walked through the store, the world going on around me, realizing how our world just changed in an instant and not knowing if our son was going to be okay. My heart was shattered into pieces. We had to quickly learn how to care for our son who was now fighting for his life, signs to look for with infection, how to isolate and clean, how to care for a picc line, I could go on and on. It's still shocking sometimes to think how quickly we were sent home after a diagnosis like cancer. On day 9, we went home. Thankfully Colton was responding well to treatment so far, the mass on his chest was shrinking, and the fluid around his heart had drained. We were so scared to leave and navigate this new normal all on our own.

After returning home, less than a week later, we were back in the hospital. Colton's picc line was bleeding and after several tests found that he had blood clots, likely from the picc line. We quickly had to learn to give blood thinner shots. The bruising and bleeding Colton endured from these shots twice a day over the next 180 days was unreal but he handled it like a champ. He ended up getting a port placed during that hospital stay because the picc line had to come out. This was sooner than planned because the mass on his chest was still there and the port is close to his heart. The doctors felt it was safe and we had to continue with treatment. The port surgery went well and we went home a few days later.

What a year it has been. In such a dark, scary and heart wrenching time, we rarely felt alone. For this we are so eternally grateful. The outpouring of love and support from friends, family and even strangers helped carry us when we didn't know if and how we could do it. I was amazed every day those first few months of so much goodness surrounding us. God was shining His light and it was so easy for us to see, even in the midst of so much darkness and unknown, it amazes me to this day. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there this past year, for listening, for praying with us and for us, for loving us, for lifting us up. God bless you! "

#coltonscrew