Griffin Arnold is a uniquely awesome kid - as an athlete, team mate, friend, student, leader, and community member. He radiates positive attitude and fierce competitiveness - so it’s no surprise that he is already kicking cancer’s butt.

On October 7th, Griffin was admitted to Cottage Hospital ER with stomach pains, fatigue, and fever. It was quickly determined that Griffin would be better suited for care at UCLA Childrens Hospital and was transported there. For the next 15 days he called the PICU home, while undergoing biopsies, CT scans, X-rays, and formulating a plan.

It was confirmed that Griffin has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, sub-type Burkitt’s Lymphoma. His body is responding well to chemo treatments and the papaya-sized tumor is already reducing and relieving pressure on his intestines. Pathology reports show no cancer in bone marrow or the spine.

Griffin was recently transported back to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara and will be there for a bit before returning home and determining a longer term plan.

The Arnolds are surrounded by so much love and support, which is a direct result of the love and support they’ve poured into the community for many years. A Meal Train will be established once Griffin is discharged from Cottage and they are all settled back at home. This GoFundMe will support the Arnolds through medical bills, rehabilitation, navigating post-cancer world, etc. There will be more community-focused events when the time is right to celebrate Griff’s heroic recovery - for now, your support for Andrew, Valerie, and Griffin (and Dodger!) is humbly appreciated.

Valerie is giving excellent updates on their Caring Bridge page (click here to get to their page ) if you would like to follow along their journey.

If anyone can kick cancer’s butt and come out even stronger, it’s #10 Griffin Arnold!