Hello everyone, my name is Cami Peña, and I am creating this as a request for your help to support my best friend's family. My best friend Laina and I have grown up in Fairbanks, Alaska and have chosen to raise our kids here. She is married to a wonderful man named Aaron, affectionately nicknamed A, and they have three children, ages 1 to 13. I am creating this request because Laina and Aaron are such hard-working people - they are accepting, nurturing, and live a quiet life. Though they would never ask for help, I want them to know they are not alone, nor will they ever fight these battles alone, and support can always be found in our community.

Just over the weekend (August 27, 2022), their two-year-old daughter, Alayah, was not feeling well, and her mom, Laina, took her to the hospital for recurring leg pain. At this visit, a blood draw showed Alayah's white blood cells were way above the norm, and they were medevaced to a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. Fairbanks and Anchorage are 358 miles apart, a 6-hour drive or an hour flight, which can add up fast in a medical emergency. After blood and platelet transfusions and a bone marrow draw, Alayah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (A.L.L.). As of today, August 31, 2022, Alayah is scheduled for surgery on September 1st to receive a spinal tap and to have her port for chemotherapy implanted. Laina and Alayah will stay in the Anchorage hospital for chemotherapy and other treatments. Aaron will reside in Fairbanks to care for their sons Tyree, age 13 and Amari, age 1.

Alayah's current treatment plan is expected to result in staying in Anchorage until Spring 2023. That leaves Aaron to take care of their home in Fairbanks, raise and care for their two boys, and carry the burden of traveling back and forth from Fairbanks to Anchorage to visit Alayah and Laina in the hospital. Laina will not be able to work during this time of Alayah's treatment and recovery, far away from the comfort of home.

This is why I reach out to those of you who have the opportunity to give, whether it be a donation here on GoFundMe to support the family's medical and travel expenses. Perhaps you can donate Alaska Airline miles to the family so they can still see each other through these challenging times, or even donate blood and platelets at your local Blood Bank for any future transfusion Alayah or any other person may need.

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read about my best friend and her amazing family. I don't know what my son or I would do without them in our lives, so I am putting myself out there to share my love and ask for help. As a fellow parent, I cannot imagine having your life turned upside down from a cancer diagnosis and juggling the desire to drop everything to care for your child but also having a stable home to go back to during remission.

Alaska Airline ID: 133739900

Massive thanks and blessings,

Cami