Kennedy Family Medical Funds

Hi, friends! My name is Sandra and I'm fundraising for the Kennedy family, Morgan, Fred, and Ryder. They've been through a lot over the last year and a half, and could really use some support.

After losing his mother to cancer in August 2020, Morgan and Fred became the sole custodians of their nephew, Ryder. In January of 2021, Ryder became very sick with what was thought to be a severe stomach virus. After several doctor's visits, Ryder was taken to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital on Tuesday, February 2nd, because he was just not recovering the way his pediatrician thought he should. He was admitted on the same day and, by that Friday, February 5th, it was determined that Ryder actually had Burkitt's Lymphoma. Burkitt's is a rare but highly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and is rapidly fatal if left untreated. It was determined that Ryder's cancer was in his GI tract. Specifically, causing a fistula in his stomach. After spending two and a half months in the oncology unit, powering his way through four different chemotherapies and once a month immunotherapy sessions, Ryder was finally discharged and able to go home on April 21st. Unfortunately, Ryder's discharge would be short-lived.

Less than two weeks later, on May 4th, Ryder was re-admitted to Scottish Rite due to the fistula in his stomach reopening. Once Ryder has completed the rest of his chemo treatments and the fistula heals, he will require a bone marrow treatment, which will include another 3 week stay and any additional recovery time that might be necessary. This will require more time for Morgan and Fred to be in the hospital, as well. Luckily, Morgan has been able to take on the load of most of the hospital requirements thus far, all while being pregnant. However, as she is now in the third trimester, it is becoming more and more difficult for her to provide all the care that Ryder needs, thus causing Fred to take more time off of work to be able to carry most of the load. Without Fred being able to continue to work as much as he has throughout this entire process, the cost of medical bills, travel to and from the hospital, a new little family member on the way, and all of their other financial responsibilities, has gradually weighed heavier and heavier on this sweet family. If you are able, any support would be a great blessing to them. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to donate in a different way. Thank you!