Hi, my name is Leah Tivis and I am trying to raise funds for my good friends, the Baxter's. On September 8th my friend, Trinh, got the worst phone call any parent could ever get, "it looks like cancer", referring to a scan her 8 year old daughter received. This is Allie's story. Allie just started the school year and was ready to be a normal 8 year old when everything came crashing down. Her eye had an aggressive growth and her mom jumped into action. After urgent care visits, doctors visits, biopsies, CT scans, MRI's, blood work up's, the worst news came. Allie was diagnosed with orbital rhabdomyosarcoma, eye cancer. It all happened so fast! Allie was rushed down to UCLA and within days they placed a portacath into her chest. The specialists came up with a game plan and she started chemo. This will be a long road. As I type this, my eyes fill up with tears, Allie has had the best attitude. She is so resilient. She comforts those around her. "Don't worry Leah". She is joy and sunshine and I wish she could just be an 8 year old little girl with no worries in the world. She deserves more then this life is dishing out right now.

The icing on the cake, her dad, Jamie, just lost his job due to the writers strike in Hollywood. He is the sole provider for the family. Jamie is an awesome dad, supportive, and really smart but no one can ever prepare for their child to get cancer. As you can imagine, this burden is heavy to carry.

I met this family a few years ago when I started to help at a food bank I now run for my church. Trinh, Allie's mom, and now my good friend, started to volunteer at the food bank that we call the Free Market. The FM was birthed out of the Covid epidemic because food insecurities were at a all time high. Trinh wanted to help her community and now years later, she helps me run the whole thing. She has become an instrumental part of the FM. She was picking up donations 6 days a week and helped keep me and the warehouse organized. She has volunteered and sacrificed so much for so long and she LOVES it. She loves to help people. We've gone through deaths and births together, she's family. Her giving heart spread through her family, her adult son, Ray, who is just as awesome as her, helps pick up donations! Jamie often picks up donations too! This whole family is just so wonderful with huge hearts of service. I cannot say enough nice things about these authentic, giving, sacrificial souls. They are good and caring people. They are the people that are normally helping, not the ones needing help. I am so thankful they are letting me do this although I know it is so hard. But they are willing to do whatever it takes to give Allie the best help.

Allie LOVES the Free Market too and anything Outreach. Last Christmas she made soooo many marshmallow reindeer for our hot cocoa station at an event we did for families. She loves to help. We cannot wait till she's better so she can come back and give us all hugs! We miss her sunshine and rainbows attitude.

I am first asking everyone to pray. Pray for Allie to be healed. Pray that she can be strong. Pray she can endure and her body can fight. The chemo is making her very sick, she hasn't really been able to keep food down. Please pray for Jamie, Trinh and Ray. I cannot imagine what they are going through but I know it's awful to see your child or sister in discomfort and fighting for her life. My heart aches for them. Please pray for comfort, His peace that surpasses all understanding, guidance, hope, and His great merciful love to envelop them all.

Second, I am asking for financial help. Traveling down to Los Angeles for chemo and every other expense that occurs with this, will be more then expected. Some of us have a lot and some of us have a little but together, we can cover them while they journey this hard road. Anything will help. Let us come together and make this burden a little less crappy. Please, if you are not able to give right now, the last thing the Baxter's would want is for you to feel bad. They'd want you to pray for their sweet Allie and wish them well. And they'd be so happy for that.

Thank you all for considering and God bless you all.

~Leah Tivis

Outreach Director at the Desert Vineyard Church

but more importantly

The Baxter's biggest fan and friend