Help Benjamin fight Leukemia!

We started this Go Fund Me to help out The Coelho Family.

We’re Milena and Fernanda, friends of The Coelho Family. We started this fundraising campaign to help out our friends, Daliane and Marco Coelho, who are going through a very difficult time.

Daliane and Marco’s youngest son, Benjamin Coelho, was recently diagnosed with Leukemia. This was totally unexpected and shocking to them and to everyone around them.

Our beloved friends have two kids, Nicolas (7 years old) and Benjamin (5 years old). They’re both adorable and very energetic kids.

One day in early January, Benjamin was injured in an accident while playing. That night, Benjamin woke up screaming in excruciating pain. Daliane and Marco decided to take him to the ER where he was diagnosed with a ruptured spleen. The doctor that saw him told them to keep Benjamin home for two weeks, saying that the spleen rupture was small and that it should heal on its own. He also recommended a follow up with the pediatrician. Two weeks went by, they kept him home from school, followed up with the pediatrician, got an ultrasound done and the ultrasound showed an enlarged liver and spleen.

Benjamin was not feeling pain, but he wasn’t acting like himself throughout this time. He was experiencing night sweats, tiredness, lack of appetite, weight loss, distended abdomen, sore throat, and enlarged lymph nodes. Something was clearly wrong with him.

After that ultrasound was done, it was reviewed by the pediatrician who reiterated that he was cleared to return to school. He was already going back since the two week excusal given by the first doctor was over. He also wanted to be with his friends and resume his regular routine, although he was not allowed to participate in any kind of physical activities.

It just so happened that on the same day the ultrasound was seen by the pediatrician, the school called Daliane to pick Benjamin up because of his enlarged lymph nodes and sore throat. At that moment, even the school agreed that it was hard to believe that he was the Benjamin that everyone knew. He was pale and had no energy at all. He also developed a fever.

Daliane and Marco then decided to take him to the ER again. This time they took him to the Pediatric Emergency of Beth Israel Hospital in Newark where he’s been admitted since 02/06.

Upon arrival, they ran tests on him (blood work and imaging) and his blood work results were extremely concerning. He had a serious infection, his white blood cells and platelets were extremely low, and he was in really bad shape. His mom described his blood to be in such an unhealthy condition that it was almost blue. They gave him blood and platelet transfusion through the night and ran tests again the next morning. His platelets were even lower than before. An oncologist was called to examine him, and that same morning, she mentioned she suspected he had leukemia. We still had hope that it wasn’t going to be real. We all wanted to believe that wasn’t happening with our beloved Benjamin.

The final diagnosis came the next day after a biopsy was performed. This shocking news was a gut punch to his parents and to all of us who love that family like our own.

How could a five year old, that was “perfectly fine” before, go to the ER for getting hurt while playing, and now be diagnosed with Leukemia?

A lot of questions are being raised at this stressful time. But now we all know that if it wasn’t for that accident and its consequences on Benjamin’s body, they would not have discovered the cancer.

We’re now trying to help them by starting this Go Fund Me account to try to raise as much money as possible to help this family.

Because of the bureaucracies of life, Benjamin doesn’t have health insurance. Due to the kind of care that Benjamin will require from now on, Marco will need to take turns with Daliane during hospital stays and home care, which will decrease his ability to work extra hours to provide for his family. Daliane is currently a stay-at-home mom who has always been focused on the well-being of her family. Now, she is shouldering the tremendous responsibility of caring for Benjamin, who needs her more than anybody, while remaining a devoted mother to Nicolas, whose life is also being affected by all of it.

Benjamin is still in the hospital where he has already received two doses of chemotherapy. His parents have started the process related to the financial part of his hospital treatment, but we know that these expenses can be astronomical in America where healthcare is as expensive as it can be.

Please help them overcome this challenge. Anything can help. And if you can’t help, please share. How would you feel if this was happening to you? Try to put yourself in their shoes. Cancer can happen in any family, at any time. This family needs as much help as possible. Please share!

All of the donations raised here will go straight to The Coelho Family to help them cover for Benjamin's hospital and treatment expenses. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.