Be an Avenger and help Declan Battle against Stage 4 Cancer.

It is with a heavy heart that Rachael and I share that our three-year-old son, Declan, has been diagnosed with stage IV cancer. He had his first round of chemotherapy the other day, and he has a difficult journey ahead.

We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of kindness and love during this devastating time for our family. The strong bonds within the William & Mary community are one of the many reasons we are honored and fortunate to call Williamsburg home.

Many of you have asked how you can help, and we’re sorry it has taken us some time to respond. We’ve created a CaringBridge page where you can follow Declan’s journey and find ways to support him as he stays in the fight.

“We can’t always choose the music life plays for us, but we can choose how we dance to it.”

Declan has already recruited many friends to help him battle the evil foe—Cancer. But he needs even more Avengers to join his fight. He’s doing his part. Declan now has his very own Iron Man battery port in his chest, and he’s been receiving special medicine to make it even stronger.

Just the other day, he even got a video from Iron Man himself! Iron Man told Declan how proud he is and reminded him to stay strong so he can help defeat the evil monster, Cancer, alongside his friends. And every week, Declan will be getting a new message from Iron Man to cheer him on. https://www.cameo.com/recipient/679e21fd7b59b9f96e438361

How You Can Help Declan Stay in the Fight:

1. Give

Support Declan’s fight:

https://bit.ly/410jdrh

105 Alexia Lane, Yorktown, VA 23690

2. Donate

You can also support the incredible staff at CHKD by donating funds or toys to help other children fighting their own battles.

3. Time

Spend time with your kids. Let them have that extra dessert. When you feel frustrated over the little things, take a deep breath and remember—one day, the diapers and laundry will be gone, and these small moments will be the ones that matter most. Thank you all for your love, support, and for standing with Declan in his fight.

How We Got Here.

On January 3, Rachael took Declan to his 3-year-old wellness check. While there, she mentioned that his left eye was puffy. We thought it was allergies from holiday travel, but it turned out to be a lot more. Our awesome pediatrician, Dr. McCusker, got us in with a pediatric ophthalmologist that afternoon. After Dr. Burke examined Declan, he sent us to the CHKD ER in Norfolk for a CT scan because the puffiness was actually a mass pushing Declan’s eye forward. Over many exams, scans, an MRI, and a biopsy, it was confirmed that Declan has stage IV rhabdomyosarcoma.

Declan got his “Ironman” port put in last week and started his first round of chemo. The nausea has been particularly rough on him. We stayed several nights in 5B – the inpatient hematology/oncology at CHKD and while we were discharged yesterday afternoon, we ended up back at CHKD last night with more nausea and a fever.

We are hopeful that we will be discharged today and able to stay home for a bit before his next round of chemo on Thursday.

To everyone that is rallying around our family right now, thank you! While we aren’t always able to respond right away, the messages to us and support of Declan from friends, family, and even total strangers has been good for our souls during this time of grief and uncertainty.

"It's not about how much we have lost. It's about How much we have left. We're the Avengers. We gotta finish this."

Moving forward in hope,

Carberry Tribe