Hi friends,

UPDATE: the pathology results are in, and confirm that this was benign!

I want to tell you a little bit about Madelyn — she’s funny, smart, kind, caring, and just plain wonderful. She’s also my daughter Hazel’s best friend, and over the last four years since we moved to Michigan, she and her family have become like family to us. Madelyn is at our house so often that I usually just assume she’ll be part of whatever we’ve got going on. I love this girl like she’s one of my own.

Last week, she came over for a sleepover but ended up heading home not long after she arrived because she wasn’t feeling well. What followed was a rough few days — a lot of pain, a trip to urgent care, then the ER, and finally an ambulance ride to the children’s hospital. Doctors found a mass the size of a grapefruit, and she needed surgery to remove it. We’re still waiting on pathology results to know more.

As you can imagine, this has completely flipped the Wandel family's world upside down. I’m starting a fundraiser to try to ease some of the pressure — things like gas for the 300-mile trips to and from the hospital, food while they’re staying there with Madelyn, groceries for their kids back home, and the mountain of medical costs that are piling up.

Madelyn is recovering well (thank goodness), and the relief we’re all feeling is huge. If you’re able to help, even a little, I know it would mean the world to this family.

Thank you so much for reading and for any support you’re able to give. ❤️