Please help baby Kalani fight cancer

Hello. My name is Kirsty and I am creating this GoFundMe for my best friend Jordan Lee and her baby daughter, my niece, Kalani, who was diagnosed with eye cancer at only one month old. All donations will fund the cost of Kalani’s care as she undergoes chemotherapy and beats cancer. Any amount you are able to donate is beyond appreciated, and if you aren’t able to at this time, please share with your friends and community. It truly takes a village, and help comes in all forms. Lastly, I ask that you please pray for the Lee Family. They are a family of faith who have already felt the power of prayer and love on this journey, a journey that no parent ever wants to be on.

Kalani and her family live in the panhandle of Florida and have already made several trips across the state to see different specialist doctors. They traveled 5 hours to see a Retinoblastoma eye specialist in Jacksonville. Upon examination, he confirmed everyone’s worst fears: that little Kalani had a tumor in her right eye and seeds in her left. The Lee family returned home and waited for the referral and appointment at the specialist hospital in Miami, 9 hours away.

Once in Miami, Kalani had an MRI and a complete eye exam while under anesthesia. The results of these tests confirmed a tumor in the center of her right eye that has affected her central vision. At this time, the doctors do not know how severely her vision will be impacted. Amazingly, the doctors did not see cancer in her left eye.

This unexpected hospital stay (and subsequent hotel stay) lasted longer than a week and included Kalani beginning chemotherapy at only one month old. In order to receive the treatment, Kalani was placed under anesthesia once again, and a central line was placed in her chest. This central line, while necessary to administer treatment, makes the daily care of an infant, such as ordinary diaper changes, complicated and stressful.

While Jordan was holding Kalani before they took her to the operating room, she thought to herself, “My baby is too small to be here.” And it was true; the smallest hospital gown wrapped around her little body three times.

The hospital stay continued, first in the ICU and then the oncology ward, with constant monitoring, bloodwork, and a blood transfusion before eventually being discharged. Prior to leaving the hospital, an oncologist had to be found closer to the Lees' home to continue Kalani’s care on a weekly basis, complete with 2 hour round trip.

Though initially difficult to locate due to her young age, Kalani and her family are lucky to have a team of specialists guiding her care. Kalani will have weekly bloodwork and daily flushing of her central line. She will have appointments with her pediatrician, oncologist, Retinoblastoma specialist and her home health aide. She will receive at least 5 chemotherapy treatments over a 5-month period. Kalani and her family will travel more than 9 hours, 18 hours round-trip, to Miami every month for these treatments. She will have repeat eye exams under general anesthesia and eventually have the central line removed. Her family will travel hours and spend weeks in hotels. They will watch as their new daughter, sister, and granddaughter goes through the fight of her life while at the very beginning of it.

And while this is all happening, life will continue as normal. It has no choice. Her dad, Ryan, will continue going to work every day at the local elementary school. Big brother Eli will start his first year of school. And her mom, Jordan, my best friend in the entire world, will continue to be the amazing mother that she is. She will take care of her family and be strong for them, even as her heart breaks for her baby girl.

I have no doubt that the Lee family will make it through this dark chapter, but I am hoping together we can make the journey a little easier for them.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

*All donations will go to a bank account dedicated to Kalani and her care. This account is managed by her maternal grandparents: Wella (Donna Ortiz) and Wello (Jorge Ortiz)