Little Lucas' Big Battle

This fundraiser was created with permission from Sara and Gavin Telfer in support of Lucas. I am Sara’s sister.

On December 17, Lucas’ arm intermittently shook and he stumbled; these were the first signs of something bigger. Within two weeks, he could no longer walk or stabilize himself and suffered from full body tremors. By three weeks, he also struggled to speak and had uncontrollable eye movements. He has gone from a very independent toddler to needing constant support.

After the first signs of something being wrong, Sara, Gavin, and Lucas traveled to the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital where they were admitted for several days. At the end of this stay, results of testing were inconclusive for many possible causes (e.g. stroke, tumor, etc.) so he was diagnosed with post-infection ataxia and discharged with the thought that he would start to improve on his own in the next week.

As Lucas continued to decline, they once again traveled back to U of M. After additional testing, a very small tumor was detected and on December 31, Lucas’ preliminary diagnosis was changed to neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that primarily affects children under the age of five. He will undergo additional testing at U of M this week (1/6/22) to confirm the diagnosis before his care is transferred over to Boston Children’s Hospital.

The Telfers have remained positive as they have gone through this journey and Lucas has proven himself to be a little fighter. Regardless of the extent of Lucas’ condition, he will be undergoing months of intensive follow up care including possible treatments, surgery, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. Please know that your support is appreciated and will help Sara and Gavin focus on their family and Lucas’ recovery.