Help support Lincoln on his journey to health

Lincoln Locke is an 11 year old boy from Kingston, Ontario. You might know Lincoln from the basketball courts, as the kid at the playground who moves like a ninja, or even as the second oldest of the 4 Locke brothers. But, what you might not know about Lincoln, is that he has had a very long and challenging year of tests and medical appointments to finally be diagnosed with an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) in his head.

Over the past year Lincoln has been suffering with a list of symptoms including severe headaches, blurred vision, and nausea - to name a few. He has been in and out of the hospital too many times to count, and has been through numerous tests (imaging, angiograms, genetic testing) and appointments with a team of doctors both in Kingston and at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, that have finally led to his diagnosis.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) happen when a group of blood vessels in your body form incorrectly. In these malformations, arteries and veins are unusually tangled and form direct connections, bypassing normal tissues. Brain AVMs occur in less than 1% of the population. If an AVM in the brain ruptures, it can cause bleeding in the brain, stroke or brain damage. These events could be catastrophic. Therefore, Lincoln needs surgery to repair this issue.

This has been especially challenging for Lincoln as it has restricted his participation in many of the activities that he looks forward to everyday. His family has lived in worry over the past year, that every headache, or symptom, was a deterioration in his condition. He has had to miss a lot of school, and life hasn’t looked the way it should for your regular active 11 year old boy.

Although it comes with fear of the unknown, Lincoln and family are looking forward to his upcoming surgery in May. Unfortunately, he has more than one AVM and this will be a long surgery against the clock, for the wonderful doctors at Sick Kids Hospital, to try and remove as many as possible in one surgery. However, this will undoubtedly be the first of many procedures to help correct and prevent further AVMs.

The funds raised during this campaign will help his family cover the costs of travel to and from Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, accommodations, meals, and loss of income while off work caring for Lincoln during his minimum 4 week recovery at home.

Thank you for your generosity and kindness. Every amount helps!

A big THANK YOU on behalf of Lincoln and his family, we are grateful for your support during this challenging time.