My 4-year-old niece, Makailen Abdalla, was recently diagnosed with Leukemia. What started off as fatigue and abnormal bruising ended with this devastating diagnosis. Life is no longer what it was.  She is currently receiving chemotherapy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Her mother, Emalea, and her father (my brother), Kyle, have been at her side through this ordeal. They have just been trying to take it one day at a time, but needless to say they are emotionally drained. Makailen is a very sweet, loving, and strong little girl and will continue to fight this disease as she has been. We have been praying for her and sending all of our love her way. We made this GoFundMe page not only to support her family (limited financial means during this time), but also to show Makailen that there are many people out there, even people she doesn’t know, who care and wish to help.  All proceeds will go to supporting Makailen and her family as they tackle the expenses of her treatment. Even the smallest donation makes a difference, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts in advance!

I also wanted to raise awareness about leukemias and childhood cancers. Leukemia is a group of cancers that begin in tissues that produce blood cells. They are the most common form of cancer in children, accounting for about 30% of all cancers that affect children/young adults. Each year in the United States, more than 15,000 kids and young adults are diagnosed with cancer - that's about 43 per day. Though the 5-year-survival rate for childhood cancers has reached 80% (varies better or worse depending on the cancer), nearly 2,000 kids under age 19 die each year, making cancer the leading killer of children by disease. These children require intense chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy followed by lifelong monitoring. Even when they survive, many children suffer from lifelong damage to their organs, mental health and more. I encourage everyone to spread the word so that research in this area (which is historically under-funded - less than 4% of the federal budget for cancer research is dedicated to childhood cancer) can get the funding it so desperately needs. Again, thank you in advance.