April 17th 2024. A date we will never forget, for the rest of our lives.

Never did we expect to win the lottery. Especially not the lottery with a grand prize of pediatric cancer entering the main stage of our lives. Surprise! We drew the lucky number, being one of just 650 families each year who have a child diagnosed with Neuroblastoma.

After receiving that infamous phone call from the pediatrician who ordered the tests, following up on results. We rushed to Seattle Children's Hospital, and have been living in Seattle ever since as we pursue treatment for Wesley's High Risk Neuroblastoma.

Our enemy is a white, crumbly, softball sized lump, who's lair is deep inside Wesley's belly. Situated in the very back of his abdomen laying wait, not wanting to be seen until it had a chance to grow in power.

Outside of a little diarrhea we'd have never known this monstrosity existed. Wesley was, and still is the happiest, most full of life little 2 year old boy. Hindsight is 20/20 and we now know that toddler belly of his is a little bigger than normal. Wesley being a picky eater isn't him just being a toddler, but instead he has something competing with his stomach for space inside his tiny body.

When someone asks us how they can help, we are so overwhelmed, unsure, and bewildered by our current circumstances that all we can do is say "thank you" and then turn our attention back to our mounting pressures.

This is what has been added into our lives in a logistics sense:

Weekly clinic visits.

Inpatient Chemo stays.

Upcoming surgeries.

Stem cell transplants.

Radiation Therapies.

Immunotherapies.

This is what has been added into our lives in a financial sense:

1. Maxing out to the out-of-pocket costs on our medical plan. Our cost will be around $18,000 for the next year.

2. Renting a subsidized home near Seattle Children's Hospital. We live too far away for it to be safe for Wesley. Things can go wrong in minutes and living two hours away with no other hospitals close to our primary home being able to handle a pediatric cancer patient. We were lucky to find a place through a local charity, but it is still $1,200 a month. We are having to pay rent for a place, plus our mortgage on our home. We are doing our best to not lose the property we love and call home. Where we have put our blood, sweat, and tears into taking care of and where our beloved animals live at. The place Wesley loves and we hope to bring him back to once he is done with treatment. The rental in Seattle also serves as a place Wesley can feel like a "normalish" toddler. He can run around in a house and play and go outside in the backyard. We can bring the dogs and cats here so we don't have to be apart from them for a year. Wesley loves the animals and I am hoping it helps him handle all the emotional trauma he is going through during treatment. It is also not fair on the animals to not have the people they know around for the next year. Our chickens and horses will remain at our property. The rental in Seattle is a small place in the city and affording board for the horses in the area is too expensive. Grandma Molloy, and other family and friends have been helping to take care of the property and animals, but its going to be a rough year and we may need to pay pet sitters if family and friends are not available. Ann tries to go back weekly to check in so the animals still see someone they know. We are also having to look into other expenses, like cameras on the property to watch the animals if no one is there and additional/reinforced fencing to secure questionable areas.

3. The food that sustains Wesley is a complete liquid food that goes through his NG tube (not covered by insurance). They tell us we can get it over the counter so they won't cover it. Frustrating to say the least. Through the hospital it is $2,100 a month. Directly through the company that makes it, cost is closer to $500 a month. Wesley is not eating much due to discomfort from chemo and the mass crowding out his stomach. He has food going 24/7 through his NG tube into his stomach to sustain him. This is what is helping keep him alive.

4. Reduced hours at work due to new logistical reasons. We are planning to have to work through this to survive. Cody is working the minimum full time hours to keep insurance. Ann works part time, flexible hours that are what pay the bulk of the bills. Some weeks Ann has not been able work as much due to the demands of Wesley's home care and medical appointments. Taking care of Wesley is honestly a two person job, but care is switched off between Ann and Cody so one person can work and one person can take care of Wesley. Unfortunately, FMLA is not an option for us and even if so wouldn't make enough for us to make it through the next year.

This is what has been added into our lives in an emotional sense:

Wesley has cancer.

Chemotherapy meds have horrendous side effects.

We are displaced and putting our lives on hold for the next year+.

We are bleeding financially with every passing week.

We are catching our stride and finding the rhythm on this path. As a family we will walk it like zombies to the very end. Thank you for joining us on this journey. You can stay updated on our progress on Caring Bridge (https://tinyurl.com/Caring-Bridge)