Meet Arnie:

Our son Warner ("Arnie") was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma on July 25, 2024. He was 2 years and 2 months old at the time. We found it almost by accident and the experience of his journey has changed our family forever. Neuroblastoma is a complex cancer and it often grows in tricky locations. Arnie's is wrapped around his aorta, making it impossible to resect in full. The doctors need to "throw everything at it" to give him a chance. His treatment plan calls for 5 rounds of chemo, 1 frightfully complex surgery, a bone marrow transplant, 12 rounds of radiation, and 5 cycles of immunotherapy. It will span a year and a half and in the end, he will have been fighting cancer for more than 1/3 of his life.

Treatment is horrible and unforgiving. Someone once said to me "you need to bring these kids to death's door to give them a chance to live." I've seen this first hand with my baby. More than once. Our entire family has been living in chronic trauma since Warner's diagnosis. Yet through it all, Warner has remained blissfully unaware of the seriousness of his condition. And despite all of the hard things we ask him to endure day in and day out, this little boy wakes every day ready - and excited - to take on the world. He finds joy in the simplest things: the purple floor of the hospital elevator, feeding our dog every morning, following his older brother around the house, scaring the nurses with toy spiders. He demonstrates bravery and resilience at every turn. Over the past year he has taught our family how to slow down and to be grateful for the things you have. He's taught us about perspective and the power of a positive mindset. And above all he's taught us that life is a journey and the importance of finding the joy in all the little things. You don't know when your destination will come, but you sure can enjoy the many moments along the way.

Our Fundraiser:

Warner has not left the Greater Phoenix area since diagnosis. Throughout his chemo and and BMT phases, we all but kept him in a bubble. "I want to go on an adventure to the green grocery store" is a frequent request. To him, an "adventure" is to go to Whole Foods or Target. It is both adorable and heartbreaking.

When treatment is over, we want to show Arnie a real adventure. We plan to bring our family to Bermuda in July 2026 for a much needed vacation. Our friends on the island want to organize an epic treasure hunt for our two boys that would end with a sword fight with pirates on a pirate ship. Your donations will help us create magic for our little boys and we appreciate your contribution so much. Any amount will help bring joy to our little family and help us savor these moments that we have together.