Charli’s Fund

September 30th, 2024 - a day we will never forget. I stood outside playing with my daughter while pushing my son in his stroller, enjoying the fall weather, and in one split second, my world came crashing down.

“Charlotte has a mass on her ovary. Pack a bag, I’m finding her a bed in Dartmouth.”

In a fog, I called my husband. We knew something was going on with her medically, but this was not what anyone, including the pediatrician, was expecting. She's 2, how is this even possible?

Our first hospital stay, she had many scans done, a major surgery to remove the tumor, and a ton of bloodwork. Her symptoms weren’t lining up with what was seen on the original ultrasound. On October 2nd, we learned that Charlotte had a tumor on her ovary that was taking up most of the space in her abdomen. The following day, she had the tumor removed along with an ovary and fallopian tube. Later, we learned that it was larger than the size of a softball. I thought my little girl had a growth spurt.

We waited 2 long weeks to find out that it was, in fact, a cancerous tumor. Another phone call that I will never forget.

“We haven’t met yet, but we’ll know each other well. Come in tomorrow at 11:30 to discuss the pathology results.” He didn’t say it, but we knew.

On October 16th, we learned that our baby has stage IIb ovarian cancer, which is very rare. She had a juvenile granulosa tumor with evidence of a small amount of spread. We were told she would need chemo, and our worlds came crashing down. I looked at my daughter playing with a Mr. Potato Head toy, happy as can be, and thought, why can’t it be me? She doesn’t deserve this.

I’m writing this while nursing my newborn on day 4 of her first round of chemo while Charlotte is napping in bed, snuggled up with her dad. As much as I wish I was, I am not a super mom, and I need help. I can’t be in two places at once, giving both of my babies the love, support, and nourishment they need as it’s often at the same time. Both of my kids need every ounce of me, and I need my husband. My kids need their dad here during our week-long hospital stays, not at work. Originally, we planned on my husband working during the day and coming back at night, but we quickly learned that will not work. My husband has been put in the awful position of needing to provide for his family financially but also needing to support his daughter through chemotherapy. This is not something he wants, but it is something we need. To have our rent covered for a month or two will take away so much pressure and anxiety so that we can focus on meeting the needs of our warrior Charlotte and our sweet newborn Harrison while we are inpatient at CHaD at the start of each round of chemo.

Charlotte loves to take care of her babies. She feeds them, nurses them, rocks them, bounces them, changes their diapers, and takes them on walks. Recently, she has started to process what is happening by acting out a lot of the procedures that are being done to her. She’s checking her babies' vitals, giving them medicine, and examining their bellies where her doctors examine hers. We’ve noticed less fear around vital checks and even some willingness to get them done. I would like to get her baby a port and an IV stand with an infusion pump to help her become more comfortable with her own port and IV pole. She’s very afraid of her “tubie” and doesn’t want anyone to touch it. Unfortunately, it has to be done, and as you can imagine, it’s not easy on anyone involved, especially her. If there’s a chance that this can help her process and become even a little bit more comfortable, it’s worth its weight in gold.

With so much gratitude and love,

The Spauldings

#wefightthistogether #strongforcharli #Iweargoldformyhero #childhoodcancerawareness