Support Edie Hedges through Cancer Treatments

This past Halloween, Mellissa Betts and Jared Hedges received a call from their daughter Edie's school. Edie, 10, was crying from a terrible headache and needed to go home. Since Edie was looking forward to celebrating Halloween all month, this struck them as particularly concerning. Over the next five weeks, Edie's debilitating headaches worsened and Jared and Mellissa consulted a string of doctors to ascertain the underlying cause. Around Thanksgiving, doctors identified a tumor nestled in Edie's midbrain. Since then, Edie has had two extensive surgeries to relieve pressure on her brain and remove and biopsy the tumor. Recently, leading oncologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering have determined that Edie has an exceedingly rare form of brain cancer, so rare that there are only a handful of cases to reference for a treatment plan. While doctors and the family are optimistic, Edie is scheduled to undergo six weeks of radiation beginning in February 2025, in New York City, with the potential for additional treatments and long-term monitoring down the road.

As friends and family, we have watched Mellissa and Jared respond to this unexpected turn of events -- very literally every parent's worst nightmare -- with uncommon wisdom, perseverance, bravery, and compassion. They have juggled extensive travel, consultations, in-depth research, and grueling hospital stays to make sure that Edie receives the best possible care. In addition, they have tried to maintain a sense of normalcy and support for their youngest daughter, Eliza, who has been a source of light while watching her sister endure these challenges. Edie has remained her typical kind, curious, and courageous self through it all, but she has been saddened to miss several school highlights she'd been diligently preparing for all year: her trumpet performance in the school's holiday show, her role in their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Christmas and New Year festivities, and a season of swim meets and music lessons. Now, a rigorous radiation schedule will force Edie to take another leave of absence for the coming months. We know her teachers and friends will miss her insightful contributions and warmth in the classroom.

We are coming together to support her family during this challenging year. This GoFundMe will provide essential support for her family's many expenses over these five months of treatment, and for long-term monitoring in the coming years. This includes out-of-pocket health insurance costs for 2024 and 2025, and all the travel to Albany and NYC for the surgeries, MRIs and other tests, and the six weeks in NYC for radiation -- fuel costs, extended parking garages, meals, lodging, et cetera. It also will help with additional child-care for Eliza (she will remain in school so she has consistency), and for extra tutoring for Edie in NYC so she doesn’t fall behind. And it will help defray lost income for Mellissa and Jared, especially as Jared works freelance and is not able to pursue as many projects over these months.

Jared and Mellissa do not expect donations and were initially hesitant to let us post this GoFundMe, but as longtime friends of their family, we assured them that this is the time to let people help. We know 2025 has been hard on so many people, so please don't feel obligated to participate. But if you can contribute and/or forward this fundraiser to your network, please know that the money, prayers, kind words, and offers to help will have a profound impact on a family that has touched so many lives. If you have met Edie Hedges, then you know she is a deeply compassionate, intuitive, and curious person who works hard at school, makes friends with everyone, mediates during disagreements, knows everything about foxes, plays a mean trumpet, and is, above all, a devoted big sister. Let's get this kid back home, in school, and feeling healthy!

With gratitude,

Friends of the Betts & Hedges Family