Help Little Shayla Beat Cancer!!

Hello, my name is Lisa Beltramini and I am making a GoFundMe account for my sister Tara (Beltramini) Benoit and her family. Specifically, I want to share the story of Shayla, my six-year-old niece, who is my sister’s youngest daughter and has been diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

After school on Friday, March 31, 2023, my sister took Shayla to her pediatrician, Dr. Mark Hausman, with concerns about a high fever and unusual bruising on her body. Dr. Hausman immediately sent her to the emergency room at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth for blood work. Within hours of completion of the blood work, Shayla was rushed by ambulance to Children's Hospital in Boston, where her parents met with an oncologist. Tara and Reid were devastated when the doctors diagnosed Shayla with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. That same evening, Shayla was admitted to

Children's Hospital and was to remain there for a month until she was in remission. During her time at Children's Hospital, Shayla underwent multiple bone marrow procedures, spinal taps, blood transfusions, and numerous rounds of chemotherapy, which will continue for the next two years. She also has a feeding tube until she regains her pre-Leukemia weight.

Shayla is a happy, funny, bright, active little girl who loves playing outdoors, dancing, swimming, doing crafts, fishing, and ice-skating at the Grove Lake in Holbrook with her Dad and her big sister, Kaylee. Shayla's favorite color is pink, adores butterflies and loves her kitty cat Snookie, who she affectionately calls, "Handsome." She also loves to sing karaoke, and her favorite singers are Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift.

We never imagined that this early in life that Shayla would have to fight something like this. She will also begin physical therapy sessions to regain her strength to sit up and walk again on her own. As of now, the good news is that Shayla is in remission and is at home with her Mom, Dad, Kaylee, and Snookie!! This comes with many challenges that she and her family now have to overcome, while she continues to fight her cancer diagnosis.

As Shayla continues to bravely fight for her recovery, this has heavily impacted her parents, both emotionally and financially. My sister is a stay-at-home Mom and her husband took a three-month unpaid leave from work. Tara was planning on returning to work as a teacher once Shayla entered first grade, but now her plans are on hold, as Tara will be providing full-time care for her daughter for the next two years. My sister and her husband have found it extremely challenging to juggle living expenses from paying household costs, uncovered medical bills, automobile maintenance, and other miscellaneous expenses that come with meeting the needs of their two daughters, as well as their own. They also have travel expenses for Shayla's treatments to and from Children's Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute many times a week.

My family and I appreciate any assistance you can provide, and we will continue to update this page as Shayla's treatment progresses!!

Thank you for your support, and please share this page with others!!