Help Baby Cal Duffy Fight Brain Cancer

Sunday, April 9th, Matt and Melissa received devastating news regarding their youngest son, 3 year old, Callan. They brought him to the hospital on Saturday night after noticing a couple of strange things; a droopy eye and a slight head tilt, which seemed unusual but not alarming. While there, they did a quick scan that revealed what appeared to be a mass in his brain. He was transported by ambulance to Lurie’s Children's Hospital that night and by Sunday morning they had a firm and tragic diagnosis - a terminal form of brain cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). The awful reality of DIPG is that it is primarily found in children and the survival rate is zero, with very few treatment options to keep it from progressing quickly.

Matt and Melissa made the decision to bring their baby home and have done their best to process all that has taken place over the last few days. As you can imagine, they are facing the unbearable.

Melissa, in the midst of it all and with Matt by her side, has spearheaded searching the world over for any possible options that might give them additional time while keeping Cal's wellbeing as the focus.

With the help of Neurosurgeons, Oncologists, Researchers, and other DIPG families, Matt and Melissa have decided upon some soft treatment options to allow Callan the best quality of life possible.

They will temporarily relocate to Chicago, together as a family, to work side by side with Callan’s medical team in hopes of slowing the progression. Anderson (big brother) will be homeschooled for the rest of the year so they can

be together as much as possible. His family at Circle Center Grade School has been wonderful about accommodating their situation.

Many of you have reached out asking how to help and it is so hard to know how to make this better for them, but the support of friends and family is going to be critical as they try to navigate what is ahead, which is why we decided to start this GoFundMe. We are hoping the fund will help to cover expenses associated with the mountain they are about to climb. Please keep Matt, Melissa, Anderson and Callan in your thoughts and know that they are truly grateful for the outpouring of support they have already received. Calls and texts have not gone unnoticed even if they haven't been able to respond to everyone.

All funds will go directly to supporting Baby Cal's treatment and expenses. Feel free to share this fundraiser using the hashtag #helpbabycal and say some extra prayers that will wrap them in love.