Help Walker Fight Cancer

Hello everyone. We are organizing this fundraiser with grief stricken hearts for the Lodoen family: Justin, Maralee (Baby Lodoen 2 due in June) and sweet little 2 year old Walker.

A little background. For the past few months Walker has been in and out of clinics and urgent care with viruses and bacterial infections. His breathing continued to change everyday, along with snoring very heavily which he has never done before. His parents continued to advocate knowing in their hearts something just wasn’t right. On March 23rd he was admitted to Children’s hospital due to his breathing and not wanting to eat or drink. ENT took an X-ray and checked his nasal passage with a camera and said it was normal for Adenoiditis. However that’s not what it was at all. Many comments were also made during their stay regarding the look of the back of his throat which was also causing the majority of the breathing problems but was dismissed as a strep infection. Even when they were sent home on the 28th, Mar and Justin knew something wasn’t right. They pushed for follow ups and were told 2-3 months for an ENT appointment. Finally, the right person saw that previous X-ray and knew something was wrong. They went in for a consult on April 4th where they were told something didn’t look right with his X-ray and his palate. An urgent MRI was ordered, however they were admitted the next day when Walker woke up with blood all over his mouth and pillow.

He was re-admitted on April 5 and taken in immediately for an MRI and a biopsy. This diagnostic procedure resulted in sedation, intubation, and ended with a grim report that there was an extremely aggressive and rapidly growing tumour. Mar and Justin’s life as they knew it began to crumble with each day following the MRI as results came in.

On April 8, Walker was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive cancer named Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Walker is currently in PICU. While he now is breathing on his own, his airway remains a major concern. Regardless of pending test results, there is only one option for treatment. Starting in the next day or so, and continuing on for 25 weeks is an intensive chemo/radiation combination. This will also require 8 weeks of treatment in Jacksonville, Florida which is set to occur within a couple weeks of Baby #2’s due date in June. Following this is another round of 24 weeks of maintenance chemotherapy.

Our wish is to create some financial relief not just for the immediate future, but also to alleviate some financial strain throughout this year of treatment. We want to create an environment which allows them to focus their time and attention on their little family. Additionally to help with some of the out of country expenses they will incur as much of the living expenses, accommodations and some flights will not be covered. Please help us help them. If you are blessed to know this beautiful couple, you will know that they are the most humble and gracious people. To many of us, they are our “go to” friends in our times of stress, pain or grief. Their zest for life is something we all love about them and even in these dark days they remain hopeful and praying for little miracles as this journey begins.

Thank you for all your support be it through prayers, messages of love and financial donations.