Caleb's Leukemia Recovery Fund
Donation protected
Caleb Ericksen is a promising 17-year-old young man full of dreams and aspirations. He is kind, talented, a team player and a loyal friend.
In February, we discovered Caleb had abnormally low blood counts. The cause was still unknown, but the levels in his blood continued to drop and a bone marrow biopsy was being discussed. Meanwhile, Caleb continued his demanding schedule of AP and Honors courses, worship band, jazz band, and baseball — not missing a single assignment, practice, or game. When Caleb found unexplainable bruising all over his body, we knew he was in real danger. His blood was immediately retested, and one phone call later he was on his way to the Pediatric ER and later admitted to Smilow Cancer Hospital.
Caleb’s medical team worked around the clock, arranging for a bone marrow biopsy and specialized labs over the weekend. When Sunday came we got the news that Caleb had Leukemia. We just cried together. Up until that point, only a few immature cells in the blood stream had been found; but the bone marrow biopsy revealed that 90% of the bone marrow was cancerous. After further testing the doctors diagnosed Caleb with APML, Acute Pro-Myeloid Leukemia.
Caleb is currently undergoing chemotherapy. His prognosis is excellent, but he has six months of intense treatment ahead of him. Believing he gets through this battle successfully, there will be regular testing and follow up with an Oncologist in the years to come. We are anticipating he will return to school in the fall term, so that he can resume his studies and something close to normal life.
While we are thankful for health insurance covering the major share of treatment costs, we estimate Caleb's family's share and related loss of income to be in excess of $16,000. Please consider helping Caleb on his road to recovery, and helping his family preserve his future and make his dreams of becoming an architect a reality. Every bit counts!
In February, we discovered Caleb had abnormally low blood counts. The cause was still unknown, but the levels in his blood continued to drop and a bone marrow biopsy was being discussed. Meanwhile, Caleb continued his demanding schedule of AP and Honors courses, worship band, jazz band, and baseball — not missing a single assignment, practice, or game. When Caleb found unexplainable bruising all over his body, we knew he was in real danger. His blood was immediately retested, and one phone call later he was on his way to the Pediatric ER and later admitted to Smilow Cancer Hospital.
Caleb’s medical team worked around the clock, arranging for a bone marrow biopsy and specialized labs over the weekend. When Sunday came we got the news that Caleb had Leukemia. We just cried together. Up until that point, only a few immature cells in the blood stream had been found; but the bone marrow biopsy revealed that 90% of the bone marrow was cancerous. After further testing the doctors diagnosed Caleb with APML, Acute Pro-Myeloid Leukemia.
Caleb is currently undergoing chemotherapy. His prognosis is excellent, but he has six months of intense treatment ahead of him. Believing he gets through this battle successfully, there will be regular testing and follow up with an Oncologist in the years to come. We are anticipating he will return to school in the fall term, so that he can resume his studies and something close to normal life.
While we are thankful for health insurance covering the major share of treatment costs, we estimate Caleb's family's share and related loss of income to be in excess of $16,000. Please consider helping Caleb on his road to recovery, and helping his family preserve his future and make his dreams of becoming an architect a reality. Every bit counts!
Organizer and beneficiary
Olivia Nicole Ericksen
Organizer
North Haven, CT
Carl Ericksen
Beneficiary