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Donate & help Walker the Warrior beat cancer!

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Please consider donating to the "Walker the Warrior" Fund to help Walker and his family fight cancer. They have been on a whirlwind of emotion and stress since finding out about the news and the last thing they need is additional stress around finances.  Any donation over and above their medical and personal expenses will be donated to other pediatric cancer children in need.  

This is a letter from Mom: 

5/9/22 Was the start of this nightmare. We went to the ER with Walker having body spams, thinking he ate something that his tummy didn't agree with. ER was thinking seizures, so that's where their focus was. We were later sent to Blank in Des Moines, where he had an EEG, head CT, MRI, and several more labs done.
 
Everything was clear and he was deemed an overall healthy 7 month old baby boy. We were about to be discharged from the hospital with chronic hiccups (which didn't sit well with us), when one of the residents decided to order a chest X-ray, just to look. There was a shadow behind his thymus gland they didn't like, so then a chest CT was ordered. That's when they saw the masses. We were devastated, confused. Our sweet Walker man hasn't been sick... he is growing like crazy, crawling, pulling himself up to stand. He's strong. We had hope these were benign.
 
MRI and Biopsy were scheduled. It was possible these were internal infantile hemangiomas (similar to the mark on his head and arm) and we clung to that theory. Then, the next morning pathology was fairly certain the sample was malignant. Nothing can prepare you for news like that...It felt like the floor gave out from under our feet. A massive punch to the gut. Took my breath away.
 
The day before this all started was Mother's Day. We went to church, went to brunch with grandma and grandpa, had a long afternoon nap. I remember sitting on the couch Sunday night and thinking 'today was a really, really good day'. Maybe I needed to log that day in my memory to prepare me for what was about to come.
 
After the malignant news, we noticed the function in Walker's legs had decreased. We shared this concern with the nurses, and oncology and neuro were immediately on it and sharing their recommendations. Within an hour, we were being life-flighted to lowa City. One of the masses was located in the spinal canal, and pressing on his spinal cord. He was rushed into surgery to remove the tumor.
 
The surgery was successful. He was intubated and on bed rest to let his spine heal, and oncology confirmed this is B cell lymphoma. He has had some post surgical complications, so it was a rough couple of days, but taking it hour by hour, day by day. An emotional rollercoaster.
 
If you've read this far, thank you. Please say a prayer (or 100) for Walker. We appreciate all the love and support we've received from so many of you. Our sweet boy is so strong and going to fight this with so many people cheering him on. Just a reminder to hug your loved ones, cherish each day, and be kind to people. Someone's world may have just been flipped upside down and one persons kindness can be more impactful than you know.
 
We are so thankful to lowa City Stead Family staff, they've been incredible. He has a long road ahead, the treatment plan is extensive. But we know our little man is in good hands and can beat this. Even with everything that he's been through, he's still smiling through it.
 
“Maybe if I acknowledge all the good things, no matter how small, they’ll add up to make the bad thing in my life less painful” 
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Donations 

  • Ibrahim Alkhalidi
    • $10 
    • 1 yr
  • LaVonne Beckman
    • $50 
    • 2 yrs
  • Ann Bode
    • $50 
    • 2 yrs
  • Brandon Nystrom
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs
  • Allie Evans
    • $370 
    • 2 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Chad Martin
Organizer
Franklin, TN
Michael Martin
Beneficiary

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