Hero Harpie Warriors Unite - Cancer 3.0 ️

April 22, 2021 Harper was diagnosed with Stage IV Wilms, a pediatric kidney cancer. It had metastasized in her lungs. She had a complete nephrectomy to remove her entire left kidney as well as the 3 large tumors that had taken it over. The 3rd tumor had ruptured pre-operatively and extended outside of the kidney capsule, essentially resulting in free-flowing cancer cells throughout her entire abdomen. She went through an entire chemotherapy regimen, as well as full abdomen photon radiation. From the treatment, she had to endure excessive weight loss due to throwing up and inability to eat. From this, she had 3 NG tubes, which all failed, and ultimately she had another surgery for a surgically implanted g-tube button to help with medications as well as tube feedings. She also had peripheral neuropathy in both hands and feet, lots of PT and OT, and a slew of other side effects from her treatment. In November of 2021, she completed treatment and rang the bell! On February 14th, 2022, Harper went back for 3 month scans, and it was found that her cancer had sadly returned with MANY nodules in her lungs. Immediately she had a right thoracoscopy to remove and biopsy the largest tumor. She then started a brutal chemotherapy treatment that had Harper and her mom living in the hospital for 2-3 weeks out of every month for inpatient treatment, and the subsequent fever stays that she had following each cycle. Harper and her mom also traveled to Mayo in Rochester for full-lung proton radiation. Throughout this treatment, Harper was incredibly ill. Due to treatment, her remaining kidney also began to fail. She finished treatment in December of 2022, and once again, rang the bell! 3 months later on March 9, 2023, Harper returned to the hospital for 3 month scans, and it was discovered that her cancer had returned once again. She had another thoracoscopy to remove and biopsy tumor tissue. Through extensive genetic testing of the tumor tissue, genetic mutations were discovered, and additional targeted trial drugs were added to her treatment. Through collaboration of doctors throughout the nation, it was determined that Harper’s best chance at survival was to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Harper and her mom recently traveled to the Colorado Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado to retrieve her stem cells for the eventual transplant. At Harper’s most recent in-treatment scans, doctors discovered that two of the tumors in her lungs were not responding to the treatment, and were instead, growing. This created an additional hurdle to overcome prior to bone marrow transplant. Harper is currently scheduled for surgery on July 11th to remove these tumors to be able to start the bone marrow transplant process as “cancer free” as possible. This bone marrow transplant will require Harper and her mom to temporarily move to Colorado for approximately 6 months, and the current plan is to head there shortly after surgery. It is their greatest wish to keep their family together, and bring along Harper’s two little sisters, Etta and Nora. Harper’s mom, Sarah, has been very open about their journey via Instagram on her page @house_of_h.e.n.s, a title that was lovingly adopted when Nora was born, creating with their names, the acronym “hens” for Harper, Etta, Nora and Sarah. For the past 796 days, Harper and Sarah have been fighting this cancer with everything they have. Sarah, as a single mom, has been unable to work in order to be Harper’s full-time caregiver. Throughout the entire journey, Harper has remained incredibly positive and optimistic. Her character shines and her smile and contagious laughter continues to bring joy everywhere she goes. The future is wildly unclear, and the statistics on bone marrow transplant success for solid tumors remains less than ideal, however, the hens continue to place their faith in God and the plans that He alone knows for their future. We’re running this GoFundMe campaign because we want to make sure Sarah and her family can cover all the necessary expenses without worry. This includes the cost of living, hiring a nanny to take care of her little ones, travel expenses, and most importantly, ensuring that Sarah can be there by Harper's side every step of the way. We truly appreciate any support you can provide to help us make this possible. Every contribution, no matter how small, can make a big impact.