Donate to Gryffin's Fight Against Retinoblastoma

UPDATE: Today 04-28-25Gryffin had an EUA and MRI at Mayo in Rochester. The boys LOVE to camp so we came up last night. The EUA was clear, and showed no new cancer in his eyes, but the MRI showed the cancer has entered his brain and he has an active tumor on his pineal gland. At this time, his diagnose has changed from bilateral retinoblastoma to pineoblastoma, since he no longer has cancer in his eyes. The oncologist called tonight and said they are transferring the case to neurology oncology but he needs a spinal tap and imaging of his spine. He also talked about stem cell transplant and high dose chemotherapy. Since Gryffin couldn’t go under anesthesia again today, we’re braving the storm to get the camper home, and we are waiting the call tomorrow on what hospital we need to go to, hoping to do some treatment somewhere closer to us. We will keep everyone updated

We received a phone call today 04-30-25 and Gryffin will go back to Mayo on Friday to get imaging done of his spine to see if there is cancer. We will keep the gofundme updated with those results as we get them.

Hello There! For those that don’t know me, I am Jessika Bertelsen and I am writing this on behalf of my good friends The Sellers! I first met Ashlee in 2018 while working at Broadlawns Medical Center and we bonded really well. A couple of job changes, and a couple kids later we are still thick as thieves. Ashlee has been a good friend to me, and I hope that I can return the favor. So I wrote the below for her and her family.

As Ashlee's close friend I have got to witness her and Kenny flourish as a family of 4. So you probably would never notice the health struggles that their youngest has been enduring since he was 7 days old.

Gryffin Wyndham Sellers was born on 02/15/2022 and 7 days later he was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is a rare form of cancer that develops from the immature cells of a retina. It is the most common primary malignant intraocular cancer in children. (typed directly from the Wikipedia page to help explain) Gryffin has been put under anethesia 27 times since he was born to get treatments done on his eye to kill the cancer he was diagnosed with. He has been cancer free for 1 year, but still has to under-go testing and check ups frequently until he is a certain age.

Ashlee has always been a positive support to my family and I. Kenny and Ashlee have been through so much yet continue to give the shirts off their backs to help others. Not even two months ago, a young girl found herself with nothing, including a place to live. Ashlee and Kenny, without hesitation, offered her two kids, ages one and three, a place to stay. They treated those kiddos as their own when they were with them. I’ve started this donation page as every year, several people ask them how they can help and if they can donate. They always tell people no and never ask for help with hotels/medical bills. Through the years, medical expenses for Gryffin have increased, and mental health services for Greysen, who has ADHD, are not a part of their plan.

Both Kenny and Ashlee are offered insurance through their jobs, but the insurance they are offered comes with a high deductible of 14K. This is the best plan for them as it covers the most related to Gryffin’s needs. Kenny and Ashlee have applied with what’s offered in Iowa, to help cover some of the costs, and they were denied. To get Medicaid as a supplement, there are income restrictions.

I wanted to do something that could help them out, so I wrote up this GoFundMe page. My goal for them is to reach 1 year of medical expenses for them which is 14K out of pocket.

Thank you for reading this, and its okay if you cant donate but I would really appreciate it if you could share it to your FB page.