The Mission:


Please help 10-year-old Maggie defeat her enemies Chuck, Lucille, Bill and Joe… and beat Stage 4 cancer!

There’s no doubt that when you raise a child, you want to see that child enjoy their youth – absolutely the most important years of one’s life. Moreover, you want to see that child grow without struggle. My brother Bob and his wife Cait are no different in sharing that mentality while raising my beloved (and absolutely hilarious) 10 year old niece, Maggie Marie. 



Just weeks before Christmas 2022, after some complaints of pain in her leg, Maggie’s life is forever changed. 

Maggie has been diagnosed with a rare (~200 new cases per year) cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), with the findings of malignant tumors in her foot, calf, groin, and pelvis. Rhabdomyosarcoma attacks soft tissues (muscles) in the body. 



The Details:


It started with a painful lump in her leg, which Maggie at the time had named, “Lucille.” 
Lucille was looked at by Maggie’s PCP, then on the day before Thanksgiving, oncologists, surgeons, and infectious disease experts who all concluded that a biopsy should be ordered. 

When the biopsy came back as cancerous, several scans and tests ordered which showed a total of 4 cancerous growths in Maggie’s body, and the diagnosis of Solid Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. 

The most problematic tumor is the one in her pelvis, which she has named “Chuck.” Chuck is a 9.7 x 8.6 x 8.8cm tumor (nearly the size of an orange) which has already wreaked havoc on Maggie’s wellbeing, solely due to its size and location. As a direct consequence of required radiation therapy and aggressive chemo treatments, this tumor will leave her unable to conceive, should she have made that choice when she grows older once she beats this wave of cancer. The radiation will destroy all of her eggs and push her into premature menopause. She no longer has a choice.

The other tumors “Lucille” (right groin, 8.0 x 6.4 x 7.4cm), “Bill” (right foot, 3.1 x 2.0 x 1.8cm) and “Joe” (right calf, MRI results pending), are all tumors that will hopefully react significantly to her aggressive chemo trial treatments. She will be receiving chemo for 84 weeks, beginning 12/7. Maine Children’s Cancer Program is in Scarborough, about 45 minutes away from home. She has already stayed a few days at Barbara Bush Childrens Hospital in Maine Medical Center, Portland. In the future, it’s possible she will need to stay in Boston (2 hrs away) for a different type of radiation therapy. 



The Outlook:


Maggie is on chemo trials and is going to fight with every ounce of energy she has. She wants to get back to school with her friends and live a ‘normal’ life again as soon as possible!

She is determined to upkeep her top-of-the-class grades in school! While we are hopeful and eager to see Maggie’s success, there are already some long-term life-altering consequences afflicted on Maggie’s beautiful existence because of her RMS. Even when Maggie beats this wave of cancer, statistically, it is highly likely that it will return.

When Rhabdomyosarcoma is discovered in adults it is much, much more difficult to treat with any success. 

While Maggie is a resilient, brilliant, and positive child, and although she has humorously named all of her tumors, the truth is that she is scared. Maggie is a well-behaved 10 year old daughter, a loved granddaughter, niece, and cousin. She loves to have sleepovers with her besties, play video games with her family and friends, ride bikes with the neighbors and pride herself with her success at school. She loves her family.

Maggie really needs your support to make it so her parents can attend all of her appointments together and work toward having the best chance at a ‘normal’ as possible life, for as long as possible.

Although the full extent of additional costs are unknown at this time, right out of the gate your donation will support Bob and Cait in a family effort to make Maggie as comfortable as possible while she fights a war she doesn’t deserve.

A $15 donation would cover a meal on the road. A $25 donation would cover a copay. While a $50 donation puts gas in the tank and a $100 donation will relieve them of a small household bill for a month. 



Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 
Your donations in any denomination are greatly appreciated.



Please check back in for updates as we have them.

*Other ways to help*

Maggie’s amazing cousin Andrea set up a meal train for Bob, Cait & Maggie. If you’re local (to Bath, Maine) and would like to help in another way, please consider signing up to make a meal for Bob, Cait and Maggie. Link below

https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/6v5erz



#PMA #RMS #CANCERSUCKS #CANCER #CHILDHOODCANCER #SARCOMA #rhabdomyosarcoma #pediatriccancer