#LoveforGeorge: A Child's Battle with AML

Toddlers, especially little boys, are always full of adventure and mischief. Whether it's climbing to the top of something wobbly in the blink of an eye, or exploring the ever-exciting world of cause and effect (like "what happens when I throw this heavy object?"), they are always walking a fine line between hilarity and catastrophe. 

George is exactly this. The youngest of two boys, George is daring, funny, at times nerve-wracking--he is truly larger than life. He's spent the last two and a half years growing into a lovable daredevil who lives to keep his parents on their toes, filling their lives with so many extra laughs and smiles (and near heart attacks) they never knew they needed. 

As of late, the laughs and smiles have faded. After an earth-shattering diagnosis over a weekend at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Tom and Vicki's lives, as well as the lives of everyone around them, have been completely changed. Sunday morning, George was diagnosed with AML, or Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a rare type of cancer found in approximately 3,000 people in the UK each year. He's already had chemotherapy and blood transfusions to help his body fight this terrible illness, and while everyone's hopes are high, his journey has just begun. 

With two very loving parents at his side, a huge network of the most supportive family and friends, and a team of medical personnel helping to get him healthy again, George has just about everything he needs right now, but this road ahead is long and exhausting. Tom and Vicki will split their time between hospital and home, hospital and work, hospital and sleep. Six months of restless nights, traveling amidst a pandemic, and living away from home in the middle of a nationwide lockdown will take its toll. Six months of filling up with fuel to get home to see Charlie and back to the hospital to see George will add up. Six months of lost income while supporting two households (their actual home and their temporary home near George) will have a huge impact on their livelihood. 

It is my hope that, together, we can support the Pearce family during this time--not only through prayers, but by helping to ease some of the financial burden that these next six months will surely have on them. There aren't many people that are kinder, more down to earth, or better friends than Tom and Vicki are to everyone blessed to know them, and I know we can all come together to make this time easier on them. Let's show #LoveforGeorge, and help them while they help George get back to his healthy, happy childhood.