Louie The Brave

On behalf of my dear friend Holly and her family, I would like to share Louie The Brave's current chapters. I hope together we can help their family navigate through these challenges and relive some of the financial challenges associated with all.

Louie The Brave

A Plea from Our Hearts: Supporting Our Brave Louie

Dear Friends, Family, and Kind Strangers,

Today, we are reaching out with heavy hearts, but also with immense hope, to share the story of Louie. On February 24th, 2025, our world turned upside down when Louie, at just 7 years and 6 months old, was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B ALL). This devastating news came after a period of unexplained bruising, relentless nose bleeds, overwhelming lethargy, and intermittent fevers that sent us to flinders ED seeking answers.

Within days, Louie, our vibrant, active boy, was undergoing surgery to insert a port, a terrifying bone marrow biopsy, and his first of many painful lumbar punctures, as his rigorous treatment began.

But Louie's battle took an even more terrifying turn just ten days later. He contracted Pseudomonas, a vicious bacterial infection that ravaged his body, spreading from his blood to the soft tissues of his left femur. The pain was excruciating—a constant 10/10 that required six very strong pain medications daily. The infection relentlessly damaged his leg's tissues, muscles, and structures, leaving him unable to bear weight and causing his hip, thigh, and knee muscles to contract, leaving his left leg bent and unable to straighten.

Tragically, the Pseudomonas didn't stop there. After an initial attempt to treat it, we discovered it had also spread to his central nervous system, infiltrating his cerebral spinal fluid and leading to a diagnosis of meningitis. Pseudomonas is a formidable adversary, notorious for adapting and protecting itself from antibiotics. We believe this happened to Louie at least twice, making treatment an uphill battle.

What makes Louie's fight even more critical is the extreme rarity of Pseudomonas striking both the leg and the central nervous system simultaneously in an oncology patient. The lack of data and evidence means we're navigating uncharted territory, making his care profoundly complex. This relentless infection has also caused significant damage to his leg, resulting in a blood clot that requires twice-daily blood thinner injections.

As of early June, Louie was readmitted to hospital with alarmingly high cerebral pressure, intense headaches, light sensitivity, noise intolerance, and vomiting. The medical team determined it was too dangerous for him to continue battling this in and out of the hospital. He is now committed to a grueling six-week inpatient stay for intense antibiotic therapy, alongside medications to reduce brain pressure and protect his precious eyesight.

Through all of this, Louie remains a beacon of strength, yet our hearts ache to see him. He's sad, mad, frustrated, bored, and profoundly lonely. He misses his friends, his dog, his sisters, and the simple joys of normal life. He often says, "2025 is not my good year," and wishes this year had never happened. In moments of extreme pain, he'll express a wish he hadn't been born. Yet, despite these agonizing feelings, he fights every single day. He works tirelessly, determined to use and improve his leg, and even when he loathes the medicines and injections, he takes them anyway.

These next six weeks will be incredibly long and hard as we focus on treating his brain and leg infections while desperately trying to preserve his mental and emotional wellbeing. Beyond this, he still faces six or more months of "intense" leukemia treatment before moving to two to three years of maintenance chemotherapy.

This journey is not just emotionally and physically draining for Louie; it's also creating an immense financial strain on our family. The costs of specialized medications, continuous hospital stays, unforeseen complications, and the sheer length of his treatment are overwhelming.

We are asking for your help. Your support, no matter the size, will make a tangible difference in Louie's fight. It will help us cover medical expenses, access specialized therapies, and provide him with the comforts and distractions he desperately needs during this grueling time. Most importantly, it will allow us to focus all our energy on being there for Louie, ensuring he has everything he needs to persevere.

Please help us support Louie in kicking not just Cancer butt but Pseudomonas too!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering a contribution to Louie The Brave's journey.

With immense gratitude.