Help Baby Maddy Fight Cancer #maddystrong

Maddy is four-months-old and was born a fighter. Before she even entered the world, she flipped over on her own in her mom's belly from breech to head down. And given she’s a twin and had to share space, let me tell you that was no easy feat. Maddy’s big smile lights up her whole face. She loves being near her sister, Hannah, standing herself up, and snuggles with mom and dad. Sometimes she even likes to hang out with their four legged furry sister, Ruthie!

 

That’s why her parents, Jackie and Dan, knew something was up when Maddy wasn’t her usual bubbly self. So, on September 25th (one day before her and her twin sister, Hannah’s, 4-month birthday) Maddy was taken to urgent care. Less than 24 hours later, Maddy was admitted to the pediatric hematology wing of Inova Children’s Hospital with a diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). You may have heard of ALL, which is the most common form of pediatric cancer, but what you may not know is that less than 160 infants (children under 1) are diagnosed with Leukemia each year in America. This means that although Maddy is already bravely fighting those awful Leukemia cells, treatment can be harder to predict for infant ALL.

 

Jackie, Dan, and Maddy will be in the hospital for at least the next month while Maddy undergoes treatment (including chemotherapy). Since she’s so little she is not allowed to leave during the initial phase of treatment. This means Jackie and Dan are at the hospital all day and then swapping nights between the hospital and home, to snuggle Hannah. While this is going on, Hannah still requires full time childcare at home and their dog Ruthie needs to be looked after, too! Luckily they have an amazing community and Nana and Papa have stepped in to be resident nannies and dog sitters for now since they need to limit exposure for Maddy’s sake so their previous nanny share set up with other children will no longer be viable.

 

 

For all these reasons, even though they're the the last ones to ever ask for help, we (Hannah and Maddy’s aunts from both families!) want to rally around Jackie and Dan, and help them and their family. We are raising money to help Jackie and Dan with childcare for Hannah,  for Maddy's specialized care in the hospital to fight this disease, and for her recovery once she’s back at home. 

How you can help Jackie, Dan, Maddy, & Hannah:

*This gofundme will provide the support and care for Jackie and Dan to focus 100% on Maddy beating this thing so she can go back home to her twin sister Hannah, who misses her so much (well at least, that’s what we’re taking her last few babbles to mean!).  We greatly appreciate any amount you are able to donate. Your support and generosity for Maddy means the world to us. 

*Jackie and Dan are encouraging folks to give blood for infants fighting ALL. Maddy has already gotten 3 blood transfusions and they want to make sure there is supply for other patients like her. You can find your local Red Cross center to donate blood or platelets (super critical for ALL patients) here: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive

*There is a Meal Train where you can sign up to donate funds, gift cards for groceries/deliveries for the Didio’s. (direct link to Meal Train here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/80d288) While Jackie and Dan are in the hospital for the next few weeks, coordinating deliveries direct to the hospital is challenging due to COVID restrictions and caution over exposure given Maddy's weak immune system. So, if you are looking to feed them while there, please consider using the feature on Meal Train to donate to Grub Hub gift card or another meal delivery service of your choice. 

*Please continue to keep Maddy in your thoughts and prayers. We need all of the strength, love, and positivity of everyone in Maddy's corner. You can follow Maddy's journey here, where Jackie & Dan post regular updates. 

 

 

We know Maddy will fight through this. Our brave, sweet girl has already made so much progress in beating ALL. Jackie and Dan are so thankful and appreciative of the unbelievable love and support they’ve gotten so far! Your thoughts, well wishes, and support have kept them energized to help Maddy fight this. Thank you for being a part of this journey! #maddystrong