Hi, my name is Kathy, and I am putting this fundraiser together for my niece Misty & her youngest son Blake Farrell.

 

In December, Blake played basketball with his friends, and within the next few days, he began to have some pain in his knee. He wasn’t sure what was going on; he thought he may have pulled a muscle or something while playing basketball.

 

He continued to have pain and felt that a lump had developed on his knee. As the pain worsened and the lump continued to grow, his mother took him to see his family doctor. The doctor ordered x-rays, and when she saw it was a mass, she sent orders marked “URGENT” to the hospital for an MRI. In the meantime, the mass has continued to grow and is now the size of a grapefruit, is very painful and is hindering Blake from being able to walk.

 

On March 3, Blake underwent a biopsy to determine if it was cancer. He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (a rare bone cancer that is fast growing and an aggressive form of cancer), and while he was still under anesthesia, a port was put in for his chemo treatments. Then Blake will be going back to the hospital for a PET Scan and blood work next Wednesday. He will begin his first round of chemo for ten weeks.

 

Once his ten weeks of chemo are complete, the doctor will run tests and assess the situation. The doctor will remove the tumor and the damaged area if the chemo works. He will then do reconstructive knee surgery by cutting the bone out from where the cancer was and then putting a metal plate into part of his lower leg and under his knee to replace the removed bone.

 

Misty is a single mom who must pull double shifts at work to make ends meet for her and her son Blake. She can’t afford to miss work to take him for his chemo treatments two times a week for ten weeks with a 5-hour drive round trip. Then you consider that the gas prices are continually going up, which will put a hardship on them.

 

Her car is an older model that needs some repairs, one being the alternator needs to be replaced and she needs new tires; this will really be a monetary hardship on the two of them. We want them to focus on his care and recovery and not worry about whether she will be able to pay her bills or if her car will strand them on the side of the road.

 

It is going to be a rough year for both of them, so I am asking for everyone's help with medical and travel expenses. We would also appreciate your prayers to help Misty and Blake get through this difficult time. Thank you, and we appreciate any help you can give them.