UPDATE: Charlie’s tumor was found to be be benign and non-life threatening! He will undergo a year and a half of low level chemotherapy treatments. He is currently in Seattle, undergoing his first chemo treatments and fighting some complications with fluid on the brain. Jac, Michael, and Charlie will be in Seattle through mid-April and your generosity has alleviated so much stress for them. 

Original Post below:

Charlie is a literal spark plug of energy, a wild man, a comedian, and a lover of trains, cars, and all things automotive. He is a born runner, and he relishes having an audience for his daily sprints on the sidewalk. He loves animals, cheese, and HotWheels. He's an admirer of antlers and remarks on how much he "loves my antlers" whenever he's playing at my house.  He's a connoisseur of fine meals, and whenever we have a particularly fun one, he comments on how "lovely" the dinner is. He's three and a half, a human comet, a bulldozer of life, a little engineer in the making.

His preschool teacher recently noticed he wasn't using his right side as much as his left, and my sister and brother-in-law–Jacqui & Michael–took Charlie in for an MRI on Wednesday, March 13th.

A mass is currently sitting in Charlie's brain. He was life-flighted to Seattle Childrens with my sister to learn more about what's happening in his brain. My mother and brother-in-law drove to Seattle.  And Michael's parents are there now as well. 

My family is going to need to spend the next few weeks in Seattle.  The last thing I want my sister and brother-in-law to worry about is money. We might have to adjust the goal as we know more, but that money will cover living costs in the midst of the expense of Seattle and will allow Jacqui and Michael to focus their full energy on making a great life for this kiddo in the stressful moment they're in.

But I also know that there are things beyond money that can help.  If you have connections in Seattle for a long-term place to stay, that would be intensely helpful. Or if there's anything else you think would be helpful for them, I'm all ears. 

They're the kind of people that would never ask for anything, and they're amazing parents. Charlie is a beam of hilarious light, and the three of them deserve all the support in the world.