Help for Jotham Draper and family

For those of you that know the Draper family you know that they are ones to enrich the lives of others without ever expecting anything in return. Last summer (2016) their eldest child, Jotham, was hospitalized for what was believed to be pneumonia. Instead of pneumonia an 8lb tumor was found residing in his chest in his right lung. Jotham fought and endured several rather scary close calls before the tumor was removed and made it out of the surgery and recovered from the very invasive procedure.

Later it was found that this tumor held germ cell cancer within it. After its removal things were seemingly fine (aside from the numerous checkups and scans to make sure he would continue to be fine). It was discovered months later (this took place in December) that Jotham has “de-differentiated malignant teratomas” which essentially translates to – he has a very rare type of cancer and it is spreading rapidly. It is likely that when the 8lb tumor was removed it sent other cells throughout his body where he now has them popping up all over the place in his muscles and bones where they are growing and they are causing a great deal of pain for him. This type of cancer does not respond to chemotherapy and typical treatments, and pain treatment for Jotham has not had a great effect for him. Jotham just barely started an experimental molecular treatment and it will take a couple of weeks before it is known if the treatment works or not.

Because of the rarity of what his body is enduring there has been a great deal of traveling for their family (meeting with specialists and oncologists and having lab work done, etc.), not to mention the amount of stress and worry they are enduring, and the obvious apparent cost. We, as those that call the Draper family our friends and have gotten to know Jotham, Diamalynne, Jareth, Kayla, (their children), Miriam and Matt, we have decided to set up a fundraiser to help with not only the medical expenses that Jotham has faced and continues to face but to help with their travel expenses and daily life expenses that are being strained with the amount of care and adoration that Jotham needs right now. The route of the treatment Jotham needs is still somewhat up in the air and it isn’t going to be an easy route, but there is a great deal of love along that route. Jotham is loved greatly and the Draper family is loved greatly and this is our way of helping them so they can have some amount of stress alleviated from their lives.

Daily Herald article on Jotham