Help Joshua Fight Cancer

Thank you all for taking the time to view Joshua's gofundme. My name is Heather and I am starting this fund in behalf of my 5 year old cousin, Joshua. He was diagnosed with cancer, which was found in the form of a Wilm's tumor surrounding his right adrenal gland and kidney. He has since undergone surgery to remove the tumor and is now undergoing chemotherapy. Joshua lives with his mother, who is raising him on her own and is currently on unpaid leave from her job in order to better care for him. Joshua and his mother are in desperate need of financial assistance. All donations to Joshua's gofundme will go toward his medical bills, transportation to his treatments and necessities, such as utility bills, that have been increasingly difficult to pay since his mother has begun unpaid leave from her employment.

A Little About Joshua

Probably one of the most energetic and outgoing children that I have ever known, Joshua always has a greeting or question for everyone. He simply doesn't comprehend the meaning of "stranger." He is very affectionate and shows love unconditionally
to all those that he knows . He loves playing games on the cell phone, adores the minions from Despicable Me, and has an uncanny ability to recite things from memory, word for word. Having always been a seemingly healthy child, it was a disturbing surprise when doctors found a "shadow" over one of his kidneys.

Joshua's Story

In November 2017, Joshua's mother brought him to the emergency room after continuous complaints of stomach pain. (The doctor later told us that the pain probably had nothing to do with the cancer.) A CT scan revealed a tumor over Joshua's right kidney. 

Following further testing, Joshua was brought to the Children's Medical Center of Dallas in early December to undergo surgery. The tumor was removed, along with his right adrenal gland and 20% of his right kidney. The operation went very well, although it was not an easy recovery. Due to the depth of the tumor's location near his spine, a very large incision (spanning his entire abdomen) was required. Joshua remained in the hospital for several days to recover while test results from a biopsy of the tumor were pending.

Joshua was allowed to return home, and after an agonizing wait, the test results returned. The tumor was cancerous. The next course of action was to bring Joshua in for a scan that would discern whether the cancer had had the opportunity to spread to his lungs. (This, it seems, is where that type of cancer usually spreads to first.) Thankfully, the results indicated that the cancer had NOT spread to his lungs, eliminating the need for radiation to be a part of Joshua's treatment. 

It was decided that Joshua would have a port, through which he would receive chemotherapy, surgically implanted near his left collarbone. He would undergo chemotherapy for 6 to 8 months, once a week for 10 weeks and once every three weeks (or varying intervals) thereafter. 

Joshua has just finished his once weekly chemotherapy treatments. He has reacted to the treatments fairly well so far. One particular portion of his treatments does cause a good deal of nausea, but the doctors are working to combat that with anti-nausea medications. We have also found that the flush on his port following treatment to be quite rough, more often than not causing Joshua to get sick. However, we are thankful that he was able to avoid radiation, in addition to all that he has gone through.

Joshua and his family look to the future with hope and immense gratitude. Again I cannot thank you all enough for your interest in Joshua's gofundme. Their financial need is urgent, and any donations are greatly appreciated. I am also happy to address any questions or concerns regarding Joshua's condition and/or financial needs. 

Thank you all sincerely,

Heather