We here at Care-A-Lot Daycare in Winthrop, Maine, are sponsoring this fundraiser for our preschooler Cohen Boutin, who was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer. Cohen is a sweet boy, who we dearly love and miss since this recent diagnosis. Below is a description of what Cohen and his family have been through since he began limping here at daycare on May 15, which led to his parents seeking a medical opinion. His family has been struggling and we hope we can get an “army” to reach out and help this beautiful family. We welcome any prayers or support for this precious child and his family as it is a long road ahead for them all!

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From Cohen’s mother, Rachel:

“We took Cohen to the ER at Maine General for leg pain and limping on 05/18. They did blood work where they found his white blood cell counts, platelets and hemoglobin were low. They transferred him to Barbara Bush Hospital on 05/19 for possible Leukemia. We were sent home on 05/22 with a diagnosis of transient synovitis but his counts were still low so they wanted to repeat lab work a week later to see if things have improved. The repeat labs showed no improvement. On June 3rd, Cohen had a bone marrow biopsy and more labs done. While waiting for the results of the biopsy, the nurse came rushing out saying that Cohen needed a transfusion as his hemoglobin dropped significantly along with his other cell lines. They found blasts in his blood which they stated was consistent with leukemia but needed the bone marrow biopsy results before they could be sure. After we received the bone marrow results, the pathologist stated there were no signs of leukemia, but there were abnormal cells in his bone marrow which they needed to further investigate. The oncologist ordered a stat CT scan which showed a large mass on Cohen’s adrenal gland which would be consistent with neuroblastoma. Again, they needed the bone marrow biopsy to confirm some other details. After receiving the bone marrow biopsy results from the pathologist, they then confirmed that Cohen has stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma. This is a rare cancer that only affects up to 650 children per year under the age of 5.

“Cohen has been nothing but brave through this all. Cohen has a very long road ahead of him and very aggressive treatments that he will undergo but we are confident that he can fight this and he WILL fight this. Cohen had a long surgery on June 9th which included a biopsy of his mass, an epidural placement for pain, and a Hickman central line so that he can start chemo in a few days. The mass has grown around some major arteries so Cohen will need to start chemo along with many other drugs to shrink the mass so they can eventually resect the mass. Cohen’s cancer has spread to his bone marrow but we are hopeful that the treatment will kill the cancer cells so that he can be more comfortable as he is in quite some pain from both the surgery and the cancer attacking his bones. Cohen will have to undergo very aggressive treatments for the duration of about 18-24 months along with some maintenance treatment as well. The biopsy of the mass will show what genetic mutarations are associated with this mass so the doctors can know the best way to treat it.

“Cohen has a long road ahead of him but we know that with support from others and his family behind him, he can and he will beat this! It is so reassuring to know we have an army that is rooting for our sweet boy. He misses his home deeply along with his siblings but he knows that the doctors are doing everything they can to cure him so he can safely return home. Cohen is pretty immunocompromised with his labs being so low and that will only get worse once he starts treatment so visiting, unfortunately, isn’t an option right now. But he misses all of his family and friends and he knows that they support him during his fight. He is such a strong boy and we are feeling a wide range of emotions with this recent diagnosis but we know we all have to be strong for our Cohen. This is every parent’s nightmare and we are slowly navigating to reach away from the darkness so we can see some light and be strong for our baby as we know he is a fighter and can overcome this! We are learning how to be strong along the way and no one could ever prepare for this. We ask everyone for their ongoing prayers, positivity and thoughts while he is fighting this disease. Christian and I are currently out of work so we can continue to care for Cohen. Cohen deeply misses his siblings, (Brooke, Connor and Georgia) and we want to thank our friends and family for helping us make it possible so that Christian and I can both be here with Cohen. Our whole community has been so caring and kind while we navigate our way through this obstacle. We thank everyone for their kindness and warm wishes. Please continue to pray and send all your positivity and thoughts for our boy.“