UPDATE: as of January 2024 

Gracie has completed her consolidation phase and is preparing for the most intense phase in her treatment. This phase is called delayed intensification and lasts for about a month and a half. This is the phase will she will more than likely lose her hair. There will be two separate weeks where she will have chemo treatment 4 days in a row. 

 But as of right now she remains in remission and no cancer has been detected in her blood work. The goal of the remaining year and a half is to make sure that the symptoms and cancer does not return. She is doing very well and has had a ton of support but it has honestly been very difficult for all of us to not be able to see family and friends. 

We are hoping that after delayed intensification she may temporarily return to daycare to see all her friends and teachers. But that will depend on how her numbers look and how her body responds to this next phase. 

 As of right now she is bubbly and happy and running around the house!!

Hi my name is Lauren, I am organizing this fundraiser for my sweet two year old niece, Gracie and to help alleviate the the stress and burden of medical expenses for my brother Danny and sister-in-law Laura over the course of the next two and a half years of treaments.

She was diagnosed this past Wednesday with acute lymphocytic leukemia also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. (ALL) is a type of childhood cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cells.) ALL is the most common childhood leukemia, and is one of the most curable in young children, so we are very optimistic!

She is currently in the very best care of the doctors and nurses at Comer Children’s hospital downtown but got great news she will be going home this week- two days earlier than initially anticipated. She can’t wait hug her best buddy Rizzo (or as she calls him Rizzy!)

She will then require weekly trips from their home in Bolingbrook back to Chicago for chemo treatment for the first few months and will then transition to outpatient care closer to home at Edward-Elmhurst in Naperville.

No one is ever prepared to experience anything like this and it is going to be a long journey, but she is a tough little cookie who in the words of her dad is “going to kick leukemia’s ass!”

She is surrounded by the most loving, supportive family but any help would be immensely appreciated. Please send all the love and prayers her way in the very difficult time. We all love Gracie so much!!