Support Chari's Life-Saving Surgery: No Stomach For Cancer

Help Our Sister Fight for Her Future:

A Life-Saving Surgery Due to a Rare Genetic Mutation

Hi, my name is Hunter, and I’m writing this on behalf of my sister, Chari Dickson, and our entire family who loves her deeply. Right now, Chari is facing a rare, terrifying health challenge—and we’re asking for your support to help her through it.

Chari has been diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation called SMAD4, which causes Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome—a condition that leads to precancerous growths in the digestive tract and puts her at very high risk for aggressive gastrointestinal cancers, such as stomach cancer and colon cancer. It also causes Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), a blood disorder that can create serious complications.

She was the first one in the family to get genetic testing done and found answers in order to help out her whole extended family. She urged all of her siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins to get testing done to see if they too carried the same mutation. Our other sister, Ashlyne, also has the gene and had her stomach removed about two years ago.

For the SMAD4 mutation to pass on, it only requires one parent to carry the gene, so each child has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the mutation.

Sadly, her two children, Chloe (9) and Levi (7), also have the same genetic mutation. Chloe has already undergone scopes last year and this year to remove polyps from her GI tract, which is hard to watch happen to a child and also contributes to the already overwhelming medical bills.

To survive, Chari has to undergo a total gastrectomy—a complete removal of her stomach. It’s an irreversible and life-altering surgery, but it’s the only way to stop the cancer before it starts. Her surgery is scheduled for this Monday, April 7th.

⸻

Why This Is So Personal

This mutation has already taken so much from our family. We lost our mom to stomach cancer. We lost an uncle and grandpa too. The pain of watching someone you love go through that—it’s something we all still carry.

Chari was incredibly close to our mom. She was there as much as she could be to visit her in the hospital and spend time with her at home. Chloe and Levi love their grandma too and miss her very much.

We never thought that Chari would be the one facing the same danger. Now, she is. But she has a chance—one our mom never got. And we want to help her take it.

⸻

The Reality She’s Facing

This surgery will change Chari’s and her family's life forever. Luckily she has a very supportive husband to help her through it. She’ll have to learn how to live without a stomach—how to eat, how to adjust, how to care for her body in a totally different way. She's not sure if or when she'll be able to return to work. It’s a long road, physically and emotionally.

Even with insurance, the financial burden is more than she can carry alone. Between medical procedures, travel to specialists, recovery, and lifelong care, the costs are overwhelming.

Your donation will go directly toward:

    •    Past medical procedures and diagnostics

    •    Surgery and hospitalization

    •    Travel and lodging to reach the care she needs

    •    Post-op nutrition and lifelong recovery support

⸻

How You Can Help

If you’re able to donate—no amount is too small—you’ll be helping give Chari the future she deserves.

If you can’t donate right now, we completely understand. Sharing this page with others can help more than you know.

Chari is kind, quiet, and strong. She would never ask for help for herself—so I’m asking for her. I’m asking because she means the world to us. Because I loved our mom, and I love my sister, and I want to see her live the full life she’s fighting for. She will be receiving the donations directly.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping our family through this.

With love and gratitude,

Hunter Hatch