Colter Cline

Our youngest son, Colter, has recently been diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a form of childhood liver cancer. His team is upbeat and positive and has given us permission to be optimistic about his long-term prognosis, but treatment has been and will continue to be grueling for Colter and hard on the whole family.

He has already completed two strenuous cycles of chemotherapy and spent 25 of the last 36 days in the hospital due to complications from viral infections and weight loss. His immune system is much more fragile than we initially expected and he has needed a lot of support in terms of antibiotics, supplemental oxygen, blood products, and electrolyte replacement.

He is finally home and off of the feeding tube for now, but still on an intense medicine regimen even at home, with several appointments per week to administer the chemotherapy and to monitor his white/red blood cell counts, liver/kidney functioning, and electrolytes.

Most of Colter’s appointments, treatments, and procedures take place at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, about an hour and a half from our home. The distance makes long treatment days even longer, and with travel comes unexpected expenses, additional time away from work, and increased childcare needs for our older sons, Connor and Christopher.

However, due to complications with his tumor, we just found out that his surgery will have to happen in Seattle. We are waiting to be scheduled at Seattle Children's Hospital and doing more chemo in the meantime. After recovering from surgery, he will need at least four more cycles of chemotherapy. Removing the tumor is a huge milestone in beating this disease, but based on how the first two treatment cycles have been so far, we are still facing a tough few months ahead.

We’ve also learned in this process that Colter had pre-existing mild to moderate hearing loss, and the chemotherapy regimen for hepatoblastoma causes additional hearing loss. He will be getting his first set of hearing aids soon. He will need many more pairs in the coming years as he grows and his needs change.

Monetary donations will be used to offset medical and travel expenses for our numerous trips to Spokane and Seattle, as well as improve the comfort of hospital stays, treatment days, commutes, and recovery time. Some funds may be used to help life stay normal for our older boys, such as covering activities that might otherwise have to be cut because of Colter's medical situation impacting our finances (like paying to keep them enrolled in daycare so we have the option to use it later on in treatment, even though they can't attend right now due to the exposure risk). Remaining funds will be saved to help fund some of Colter's longer-term needs in the years to come.

Thank you so much for supporting our family during this challenging time. Thoughts, prayers, and good vibes are always appreciated!