Callie Milleck

A few weeks ago, after a 2nd grade boys basketball scrimmage, all the families met up at BW3's for dinner. Across the table from my wife Ashley and I, was a little girl, sitting on her mom's lap, named Callie, the younger sister of one of boys on the team, and a friend of my son's.

During dinner, my wife and I both noticed that Callie seemed a little pale, and so as we all said our goodbyes at the end of the night, we mentioned to her parents JP and Stephanie, that it might be worth getting her iron levels checked. We assured them it would be a relatively easy diagnosis and treatment, and that once they started supplementation, they'd see a brand new girl.

48 hours later my wife called to tell me Callie had been diagnosed with Leukemia.

In the time since, Callie's home has been a hospital room at Childrens. She's had multiple bone marrow aspirations, lumbar punctures, and a PICC line for chemotherapy. She will have been there for a month minimum before she is able to go home, and in that time visitations will be restricted due to her immune suppression and infection risk, and only one of her parents will often be with her because Stephanie and JP will be splitting time with Callie's older brother Jaxson.

I cant imagine trying to hold my 3 year old baby together as she gets sick from repeated chemo treatments. As she has to choose between trying to eat something when she's hungry, or just going without to avoid throwing up again. I can't imagine looking in my 3 year olds eyes while they suffer, and telling them this is necessary. I cant imagine how all of this is affecting Callie's brother Jaxson.

I know JP and Stephanie would take all of Callie's pain if they could. And I know there's a lot of people in Independence that know the Milleck's and want to help. We cant take Callie's pain for her, or JP and Stephanie's burden, but I think we can make sure that not a single ounce of their energy, emotion, or focus is wasted on concerns of how to pay for Callie's treatment.

From what I've researched, treatment alone for Callie's specific Leukemia has an average out of pocket cost of $10,000 in the first 3 years. But this is just for treatment. And because its an average, I'm setting the goal at $20,000 to give a cushion for other costs that might be associated over the next 3 years. I'm hoping we can beat even that.

Please share this with as many people as you can. If we get 5000 people, we'd only need $4 each...and every dollar helps.

Thanks in advance to everyone who shares and donates, I love you all.

McGill