Help Finley Fight Rare Brain Stem Cancer

Kelly McBride is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Jeremy Henderson.

Donation protected

It is with a heavy heart that we feel it’s time to share with you our heartbreaking news.

First let me start by saying as of now, Finley knows she is ill, but that is all. She does not know the extent of her diagnosis. We ask that you please be careful with who you talk to about it, especially children that know Finley. At this point, Finley’s parents are keeping her on a need to know basis. It’s a very delicate situation and her parents want to be able to talk to Finley when they feel the time is right.

So where to begin…Finley is an active, healthy, sweet 8-year-old girl. She started having double vision after a simple fall at school. Which then escalated into honestly a parent’s worst nightmare. After multiple doctor’s appointments with specialists, ultimately a Neurologist sent her to the ER. They thought maybe she was having a brain bleed, but after having an MRI, it was discovered that their baby girl has a rare brain cancer called DIPG. Only 150-300 kids a year are diagnosed with it. It is a very aggressive cancerous brain tumor that’s located in the brain stem, because of the location, they cannot operate to remove it. There is also no cure at this time.

Overnight this family had their world turned upside down. It’s been extremely difficult for the parents (Theresa & Jeremy) to process all of this since it happened so suddenly. The entire family is beyond devastated. They are left trying to figure out treatment plans, how to pay for all the treatments, surgeries, medicine, tests, days off work and traveling as there is no pediatric hospital where they live. Also, they are trying to figure out how to tell their daughter, and the right time to tell her. As parents, I cannot even begin to imagine how to deal with all of this. As well as take care of their other children and create normalcy.

They are heartbroken and grasping for answers, miracles or treatments. But they are NOT giving up; Finley is a fighter! They are starting to travel 5 days a week out of town for radiation to shrink the tumor. Finley has already had surgery to put in a shunt to allow for fluid to drain to help alleviate some of her symptoms. Many hospital visits/overnight stays lay ahead during Finley’s treatment plan. While this is going on, the family will look at other treatment options/trials in the US to try to help.

Now let’s talk about Finley…. she is a beautiful, loving, amazing, selfless 8-year-old girl. She is so sweet and empathetic. She always put’s other people’s feelings before her own. As an example, Finley asked her mom to cut her long beautiful hair and donate to cancer patients a couple years ago. If you have the privilege of having a relationship with Finley, you know how special she is. Finely lives at home with her parents and has three other siblings, Rylee (16), Hunter (13), and Brayden (5). She is very close with her siblings and this whole process will be hard on all of them.

We ask that you please join us and become part of Finley’s army of support through this time. This family needs YOUR help, they need an army praying and supporting them. We would love to wrap this family in love, support, and an abundance of prayers. Any size donation would help and would go to the ongoing large medical expenses, travel, missed work and any other needs that might come along. Relieving them of the financial pressures will allow them to focus on the most important thing…. loving and caring for Finley.

We also ask that you please PRAY. Pray for the family, for Finley and for the doctors as they come up with a treatment plan.

If you would like to follow her journey, a facebook group has been created to post updates on how she is doing.

Finley’s Fight

https://www.facebook.com/groups/527484241783489/?ref=share