Colston is only 2 years old, and his journey began with what was believed to be pneumonia, but quickly turned into something far more serious. Within a short period, doctors discovered an inoperable, large cancerous tumor in his chest that was restricting his ability to breathe. He developed a significant amount of fluid around his heart and lungs, and initially, his heart was not strong enough to allow for anesthesia to remove the fluid or biopsy the tumor. After a week of steroids, the tumor shrank enough for Colston to undergo the procedure to biopsy the tumor and aspirate the fluid. Pathology results confirmed that Colston had stage 3 cancer. The surgeon then performed a second procedure to determine if cancer cells were present in his bone marrow and spinal fluid. Unfortunately, the presence upgraded his diagnosis to stage 4 and his chemotherapy treatment was adjusted to cover T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia.

On June 26, 2026, just ten days after his admission to the University of Iowa Hospital, Colston began chemotherapy. Aside from spiking a fever that required blood cultures and antibiotics, he is now on a journey of eight days of inpatient daily chemotherapy treatments, followed by two to three days a week of outpatient treatments for the next 2.5 to 3 years, provided there are no complications or setbacks. This is a long road for Colston and his family, and the emotional and financial toll is immense.

Spencer and Roynicka, Colston’s parents, do not have paid time off to cover the length and duration of his treatment. With frequent trips from Illinois to the University of Iowa Hospital for outpatient chemotherapy, gas and travel expenses quickly add up. Additionally, because Colston’s immune system is compromised, he cannot attend traditional daycare for quite some time, so the funds will also help cover in-home daycare on the days Spencer and Roynicka are able to work. We are asking for your support to help Colston and his family through this difficult journey. Any contribution will make a difference and help ease the financial burden so they can focus on Colston’s care.