Caroline's Medical and Travel Bills

Meet one of the founders of our organization, Dukes Against Childhood Cancer, Caroline Laughorn. In 2020, Caroline, her roommate, Hannah Moon, and Founder of Our Amazing Fighters; LeAnna Headley, created DACC in order to educate and advocate for children and their families who are experiencing life with childhood cancer. Since then, DACC has received multiple recognitions and has increased in relevance each year since it was created in 2020.

Caroline is a spunky, funny, and sassy country music-loving 23-year-old who graduated from James Madison University with a Health Science degree last year (class of 2023). Caroline is now beginning to study in order to pursue a career as a physician’s assistant.

Caroline is also a four-time childhood cancer survivor who is currently fighting her fifth battle against B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This type of Leukemia is the most common in children under 20 and begins in the body's bone marrow and progressively grows to overcrowd and later enable the bone marrow's ability to properly produce enough cells. Due to the rapid growth of these cells, treatment Is crucial in the beginning stages.

Caroline began her fight in May of 2009 at just eight years old and has fought leukemia in October 2015, July 2019, March 2021, and now August of 2023. Caroline was admitted to Duke on Tuesday, August 29th, 2023, and has had to make multiple trips to and from Duke and CHOP (Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania). Caroline now has a treatment plan that consists of 28-day cycles of two different chemo’s and steroids. The goal of this plan is to get rid of the cancer completely and get Caroline back into remission and prepare her body for transplant.

With treatment, doctors’ visits, food, travel, hotel stays, bone marrow transplants, and testing comes thousands to sometimes millions of dollars worth of medical bills. Caroline and her family also received the heartbreaking news that their insurance won’t pay for her treatment at CHOP as well as her potential bone marrow transplant at Duke due to their hometown, South Boston, Virginia, being out of the 75-mile range; which disqualifies them from getting insurance to cover medical expenses.

Even through all of this that is on the backs of Caroline and her family, they are hopeful, strong, and determined to fight and navigate through this brutal and unjust journey. Caroline was able to get into a room so her puppy Biscuit, a five-year-old Yorkshire Terrier (Instagram: @Biscuit_the_yorkichon), can be with her while she goes through chemo; what a blessing!

Caroline is a fighter and with your donation, YOU can help her family lift the financial burden off their back.

Caroline's strong mama, Jennifer Laughorn, created ‘Carolines Journey’ on Facebook in order to share the day-to-day life of Caroline and her fight to win against Leukemia. Together we can help and support Caroline and her family through their journey. PLEASE share this campaign by using #CarolineStrong or by following 'Caroline's Journey' on Facebook.

‘Carolines Journey': https://www.facebook.com/jenniferhilllaughorn/

Caroline’s TikTok: @CarolineLaughorn

With a heartful of gratitude and appreciation,

Dukes Against Childhood Cancer.