Matthias’ Battle! (A Childhood Cancer Fight)
Donation protected
As many of you know in December of 2016 my best friend Leonard passed away unexpectedly. As difficult as it was to lose my best thing one beautiful aspect of this tragedy was that I have been blessed through this in a way that I never expected. Leonard has an amazing family: A beautiful loving Mother, Mary Frances, three brothers and twin sisters Denise & Raquel.
I have grown especially close to Leonard’s younger sister Raquel. This smart, funny strong young woman inspires me so much! Raquel is a single Mother to Leonard’s four awesome nephews. Matthias age 10, Micah age 8 and twins Memphis & Meconah age 4.
A while back Raquel reached out to let me know that her oldest son Matthias was having some persistent pain in his knee. Raquel took Matthias to doctors where he was misdiagnosed a couple of times which then led to a full year of X-rays/MRIs and eventually specialists (orthopedic) to get to the source of what was causing Matthias’ knee pain. Over time his pain had spread to his lower back. Unfortunately Raquel was given information that no Mother (or parent) ever wants to hear, Matthias had a lesion on his femur (thigh) bone. The next step would be a full body bone scan. During this scan another lesion was revealed, this one was located on one of his ribs. This was the cause of his pain and he would need surgery to have the lesion on his knee removed and biopsied. Raquel was subsequently referred to an Oncologist to determine the cause of the lesions.
Matthias had surgery, the lesion was removed and upon the biopsy it was determined that he has a rare condition called: Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. The medical description of this disease is as follows:
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder in which the body makes too many dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are a form of histiocyte, or white blood cell. These cells play a role in the body’s immune system. They can be found in the skin, lungs, stomach, bone, eyes and intestines. In LCH, dendritic cells build up, forming tumors and disrupting the normal function of tissues. LCH is a form of cancer and often, but not always, requires treatment with chemotherapy. LCH most commonly affects the skin and bones but can involve any organ in the body, including lymph nodes, lungs, liver, spleen, bone marrow or brain.
Matthias who has been an avid sports player has had to stop playing sports and is now using a wheelchair while his leg heals from the surgery. Matthias will have his next surgery to have a venous access device placed on 6/8/22. This device (port) will be used to administer chemotherapy as part of his treatment plan. He will also be on some additional medication which will be given at home and will need to have a strict diet to prevent diabetes.
It has been very hard to see my friend Raquel going through something so stressful. As a parent we tend to get stressed and anxious when there is even something mild that is affecting our children so knowing that your child has a type of cancer is petrifying. That is why I want to help Raquel and her sons in any way possible. Raquel is a working parent to Matthias and his three younger brothers. She is the sole provider, therefore this has already caused her some financial strain. She desperately just wants to be able to be present with Matthias as he goes through this rigorous treatment plan. Some financial support would enable her to be with her son, to comfort him and give him Mother’s healing love ♥️.
I am asking that if can, please make a donation of any amount (every dollar counts) for Raquel and the boys. All donations will go directly to Raquel Ahumada. If you can’t donate that is understandable, we would welcome all prayers for Matthias, Raquel & the boys and also if you could please share this campaign.
This will be so appreciated by this amazing family. I have the utmost love and respect for them. I’m so proud of Raquel for being such a strong loving Mother. Matthias is also being strong and doing his best to adjust to this new lifestyle. We were all ten years old once, just imagine what a drastic change this is from “normal” life at a young age.
Thank you everyone, so much.
I have grown especially close to Leonard’s younger sister Raquel. This smart, funny strong young woman inspires me so much! Raquel is a single Mother to Leonard’s four awesome nephews. Matthias age 10, Micah age 8 and twins Memphis & Meconah age 4.
A while back Raquel reached out to let me know that her oldest son Matthias was having some persistent pain in his knee. Raquel took Matthias to doctors where he was misdiagnosed a couple of times which then led to a full year of X-rays/MRIs and eventually specialists (orthopedic) to get to the source of what was causing Matthias’ knee pain. Over time his pain had spread to his lower back. Unfortunately Raquel was given information that no Mother (or parent) ever wants to hear, Matthias had a lesion on his femur (thigh) bone. The next step would be a full body bone scan. During this scan another lesion was revealed, this one was located on one of his ribs. This was the cause of his pain and he would need surgery to have the lesion on his knee removed and biopsied. Raquel was subsequently referred to an Oncologist to determine the cause of the lesions.
Matthias had surgery, the lesion was removed and upon the biopsy it was determined that he has a rare condition called: Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. The medical description of this disease is as follows:
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder in which the body makes too many dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are a form of histiocyte, or white blood cell. These cells play a role in the body’s immune system. They can be found in the skin, lungs, stomach, bone, eyes and intestines. In LCH, dendritic cells build up, forming tumors and disrupting the normal function of tissues. LCH is a form of cancer and often, but not always, requires treatment with chemotherapy. LCH most commonly affects the skin and bones but can involve any organ in the body, including lymph nodes, lungs, liver, spleen, bone marrow or brain.
Matthias who has been an avid sports player has had to stop playing sports and is now using a wheelchair while his leg heals from the surgery. Matthias will have his next surgery to have a venous access device placed on 6/8/22. This device (port) will be used to administer chemotherapy as part of his treatment plan. He will also be on some additional medication which will be given at home and will need to have a strict diet to prevent diabetes.
It has been very hard to see my friend Raquel going through something so stressful. As a parent we tend to get stressed and anxious when there is even something mild that is affecting our children so knowing that your child has a type of cancer is petrifying. That is why I want to help Raquel and her sons in any way possible. Raquel is a working parent to Matthias and his three younger brothers. She is the sole provider, therefore this has already caused her some financial strain. She desperately just wants to be able to be present with Matthias as he goes through this rigorous treatment plan. Some financial support would enable her to be with her son, to comfort him and give him Mother’s healing love ♥️.
I am asking that if can, please make a donation of any amount (every dollar counts) for Raquel and the boys. All donations will go directly to Raquel Ahumada. If you can’t donate that is understandable, we would welcome all prayers for Matthias, Raquel & the boys and also if you could please share this campaign.
This will be so appreciated by this amazing family. I have the utmost love and respect for them. I’m so proud of Raquel for being such a strong loving Mother. Matthias is also being strong and doing his best to adjust to this new lifestyle. We were all ten years old once, just imagine what a drastic change this is from “normal” life at a young age.
Thank you everyone, so much.
Organizer and beneficiary
Thea Preston
Organizer
Camarillo, CA
Raquel Ahumada
Beneficiary