Hunter Wood Survives Brain Cancer, But His Family Needs Your Help

"We literally have no money right now." – Naomi Wood Merchant

I'm Tatsu, writing this for Naomi, and I've helped families in crisis before through GoFundMe campaigns. But Naomi's story, a mother watching her 6-year-old son Hunter suffer a rare and most dangerous brain cancer, while her entire world collapses, hits hard.

Naomi explained to me, "We're just trying to keep our family afloat while Hunter fights DIPG - the worst brain cancer in childhood cancer."

Hunter's going to be 7 on October 24th, the same date he was diagnosed. "By the grace of God, he's here past 9 months, going on 10 months," Naomi told me. "The doctors gave him a few weeks to a month to live, but Hunter had other plans." The family has barely enough resources to plan for Hunter's birthday party.

January 24th: The Day Everything Changed

Naomi walked me through that terrible day: "Hunter went to school, was walking funny and eyes were crossed. We noticed it on the playground with the teacher. So we called the pediatrician. They sent us off to the hospital."

She continued, her voice steady despite reliving the nightmare: "On the third day there, they decided to do a lumbar puncture and an MRI to see what was going on. We had basically cleared out from any head injury. Did he get into anything? Everything, you know, just crossed our T's and dotted our I's."

Then came the diagnosis that would shatter any parent's world. "The MRI and lumbar puncture within a half hour indicated that he had DIPG, the worst brain cancer in childhood cancer. With DIPG, there's 1% to 10% survival rate. He was given a few weeks to a month to live."

But here's where you root for Hunter! As Naomi told me with solemnity: "By the grace of God, he's here past nine months, going on ten months this coming up the 24th, which ends up being his birthday."

"Each time Hunter has proven elsewise," she said. "And he's here. He wants to live. And I'm going to give that to him."

Hunter Before DIPG

When I asked Naomi what Hunter was like before all this started, her entire demeanor changed. For a moment, the exhaustion lifted as she painted a picture of her boy:

"He was very energetic. He loved to wrestle. He would take you down in a headlock. He would do his John Cena moves. He loved to play in the playground. He was just your typical little boy who just lived life to the fullest, and you couldn't keep him still."

She smiled through weariness as she continued: "You couldn't keep him just laying there in bed or anything. He just wanted to play, and he still wants to do that. He was the first one to just, like, scream out in laughter over the littlest things."

"He was diagnosed as autistic," Naomi added. "But besides that, he was your very smart little boy who just played. He just took life like a big party."

Then reality crashed back in as she described his current state: "Unfortunately, because of the brainstem injury, he's slowly getting his movements, but he's literally laying there immobile. He does need a wheelchair to travel. Talking is very limited. He is basically bed-bound because he can't move. He can't literally get up and play like he wants to."

Her next words showed the fierce hope only a mother could maintain: "He's basically temporarily a shell. And I like to use that word temporarily, only because we still have hope that one day he's going to get through this."

Wood Merchant Family Since January

As Naomi recounted the past 10 months, I could barely keep up with the medical crises this family has endured:

"Since then, we have had to travel back and forth from South Hadley to Boston. We tried a clinical trial in New York that failed. Hunter went through 30 rounds of radiation back in February all the way to the end of March, went with a biopsy, which left him paralyzed in the left arm and leg."

The complications kept coming. "After that first initial treatment, he had breathing problems where he ended up, the first trip was being put into a medically induced coma. He was airlifted to Boston."

She continued: "The second time he was sent back from our home hospital, which is Bay State, back to Boston with the breathing issues. He was there for about two weeks, and they found out he has brainstem injury due to radiation therapy."

"He was in Boston about three to four months living at the Boston house," Naomi explained, "which was close to the hospital because it would have been a lot of money to go back and forth."

Then came another near-death experience: "He ended up having overdose of sodium bicarbonate from the hospital, and they gave him twice the age limit. He almost died."

The Family Crisis Goes Beyond Hunter:

As if Hunter's battle wasn't enough, Naomi shared something that clearly pained her: "Since then, we've also had family emergencies. And since then, I've been basically trying to take care of my son and my daughters."

She told me about her three children: "My daughter is Hailey, she's 14. My middle girl Charlotte is already seven, going on eight in January. She's doing pretty all right amongst us. But she's in the middle between my son and my oldest daughter."

The living situation has become impossible. "We're living with my parents because we can't afford to have our own house. We have to literally take care of him 24 hours a day, so I take care of him through the day, which makes it hard to find a job. His dad has to do overnights with him so I can sleep, and then we switch back and forth. So he's sleeping during the day, I'm up, and I'm sleeping at night."

Financial Reality

This is where the conversation became truly desperate. "We literally have no money right now," Naomi told me. "We're, we've been trying to reach out to resources, trying to just do the best we can."

Before Hunter's diagnosis, they were working class parents with dreams. "I used to work part time in PCA - personal care. Jason worked at like a gas station. I was planning on going back to school to become a social worker. And unfortunately that was just all put to a halt."

She's explored every option: "I've looked into remote work, unfortunately. My kids need that 24-hour care."

The juggling act is impossible: "Between how we're going through, all the hell we're going through, there's also upcoming appointments for not only him but for my daughter. And I'm doing everything I can to just keep my family afloat, and it's just been an absolute nightmare."

"We've tried to stretch our money as far as we can go," she said. "In the midst of it, we're also having car troubles. So I'm trying to find either a job in the midst of our busy life schedule. But it's nearly impossible because a lot of the jobs in our area, they will not take the hours that I can work. They want us to work Monday through Friday, and I'm unable to do that."

Why Hunter Needs a New Car NOW

Naomi is a very calm and grounded person I found. Even when she talked about their car situation: "We need to get money for a vehicle and winter's going to be coming. And as you know, Western Mass gets hit hard. And so I'm afraid that if we're in the middle of going to Boston, my car is going to just die in the middle of the road, and I can't take a chance."

The car is barely holding together: "My car has broken down about three times this year. We have problems with the transmission. All the lights on. On the car, we have a cracked window."

"I do have a car at the moment, but it's on its last legs," she explained. "We're just looking for something that is going to be easy for my family. So we're not worried that it's going to break down 24-7, you know?"

As a resident myself, I know exactly what Western Mass winters are like. The thought of this family stranded on I-90, the Mass Pike, with a dying child in the car should leave stains on all our karmas. AAA is not going to save the Hunter's life, but a reliable car will. Please help out.

Alternative Way to Help: Car Dealers & Businesses

We're also seeking a local car dealership willing to donate a reliable used vehicle. In exchange, we'll provide:

- Recognition in all campaign updates

- Social media promotion to thousands of supporters

- Local news coverage opportunities

- Tax-deductible donation receipt

- The knowledge that you literally saved a child's life

If you own or know a dealership that might help, please contact us immediately. This could solve everything instantly.

**Immediate Crisis Needs (Next 30 Days): $15,000**

• Reliable used vehicle down payment: $5,000 ("My cousin Michael could find it if I had the money.")

• Past-due bills to keep utilities on: $2,500

• Gas for medical appointments: $800

• Winter clothes for three children: $600 ("We're trying to get resources to get my kids some winter clothes.")

• Food and basic necessities: $1,500

• Car insurance and registration: $800

• Toll that I have to pay ("It's not a lot."): $300

• Hunter's birthday (October 24th): Taken care of ("We just figured out Hunter's birthday today.")

• Emergency medical supplies: $800

• Transportation to appointments: $1,000

• MRI on the 21st and blood treatments on November 7th: Transport costs

**Short-Term Stability (3 months): $25,000**

• Complete reliable vehicle purchase: $12,000

• 3 months basic living expenses: $5,400

• Medical transportation costs: $2,400

• Home medical supplies not covered: $2,200

• Family mental health support: $1,500

• Car maintenance/insurance: $1,500

**Long-Term Security (6 months): $35,000**

• Secure stable housing: $10,800

• 6 months living expenses: $10,800

• Ongoing medical costs: $4,500

• Transportation maintenance: $2,400

• Emergency fund for hospital stays: $3,500

• Family counseling and support: $3,000

**Total Goal: $75,000**

Your Impact

Based on what Naomi shared, here's exactly how your donation will help this family survive:

• **$10** = Gas to get Hunter to one appointment

• **$25** = One day of Hunter's medical supplies

• **$50** = Week of groceries for the family

• **$100** = Keeps utilities on for a week

• **$250** = Month of gas for medical appointments

• **$300** = Month of car insurance and maintenance

• **$1,000** = Significant down payment on reliable vehicle

• **$5,000** = Reliable used car to ensure Hunter never misses treatment

Hunter's Fight and His Mother's Promise

Naomi explained how she protected her son from the worst of it:

"Unfortunately, a six-year-old cannot comprehend being told that they got a few weeks to a month to live. And I had to block that from him with every fiber of my being was to give him hope."

She continued: "Because once he found out that he had cancer, he did ask, am I going to die? Because the way they were explaining everything. And he, after he got that diagnosed, he didn't want to eat. He didn't want to do anything but lay in that hospital bed. He wouldn't bathe."

The family rallied to help Hunter find hope: "It took everything for us to help him. To just be encouraged, we went through with Child Life. We got him his favorite things, which was wrestling. We even were able to do his Make-A-Wish to meet John Cena. He got to do that. He got to go to Mystic, his favorite place, to vacation when we first got home."

Naomi made him a promise that she's fighting to keep: "The first thing I promised him when he first found out he had cancer was, we're going to fight. You're going to experience being a kid. You let us do the hard work."

Despite the medical pessimism, Hunter keeps defying expectations: "All the expectations that they've had, many times for the last few months, we've had his doctors, we've had hospice say, you know, you got to expect the worst because he looks like he's declining. Each time Hunter has proven elsewise."

Faith Keeps Them Going

Naomi's faith is what's keeping this family together: "I know a lot of people, when they hear DIPG, the statistics are not good, but our family runs by faith and we're Catholic. And we go by the phrase, walk by faith and not by sight."

Her determination is absolute!

"We're just trying to keep him going. We're just trying to keep my family strong," she said. "And it's been a nightmare. I don't wish this on anybody."

Then came the practical reality that brought me to create this fundraiser: "But faith alone won't fix our car. Faith alone won't keep the lights on. Faith alone won't get us through winter."

"We need our community. We need you."

When I asked about her hopes for Hunter, her answer was simple and powerful: **"My hopes for him is to win this battle."**

Why I'm Sharing This Story

I've done two successful GoFundMe campaigns before - one raised $10,000 for my friend who lost his home in a fire while battling cancer, another raised nearly $20,000 for a friend's sister. But Naomi's story is different.

As she told me, "The medical bills are taken care of through the insurance, which is good. We have that situated for Hunter with Boston Children's. It's just like living expenses and traveling and, you know, not being able to work."

This isn't about medical bills. This is about a family that's done everything right, fought with everything they have, and simply can't fight poverty and cancer at the same time.

Hunter turns 7 on October 24th. Instead of planning a funeral, Naomi is planning a birthday party. But they have $0 and a dying car.

Please, if you can help! Any amount makes a difference. If you can't donate, please share this story. Someone in your network might be the miracle they're praying for.

Let's make sure they can keep taking it day by day until Hunter wins this battle.

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*Campaign written by Tatsu Ikeda on behalf of the Wood Merchant family*

*Every donation goes directly to Naomi for immediate family needs*

*Updates will be posted regularly about Hunter's progress and how your donations are helping*