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** All funds will be going to Richard's end of life care and bills**
This fundraiser is to support the Mothersell family as their 13yo son Richard, fights bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma for the second time and Leukemia.
You have a chance to make a difference in the support of a young man who is a fighter and has already beat this cancer once and needs to beat this cancer again. We are asking for donations to help pay bills, gas, and other related expenses as Richard starts chemo and radiation again for this very aggressive cancer.
Richard is a happy, sassy, intelligent, amazing, handsome 12yo who loves video games, swimming, animals, and his family. He is one of the greatest joys of our lives. Richard has high-functioning autism and has trouble communicating his needs to the Doctors and Nursing staff, so one of his parents or sisters is with him at the hospital at all times. Our first week in the hospital broke my heart in so many ways. One late night while Richard sleeping soundly I stepped out into the hall for a little break. Each door on our floor had blinds and most of them were open, when I asked why they would be open I was told by the nurse it was because those rooms had no visitors (meaning parents). Many of those blinds never closed, those children were fighting alone. I watched over the weeks and months as other children on the floor developed this look in their eyes that is all too well known to me, they gave up. I made a promise to myself and my son that we would never give up, we would fight. We would like you to join us in this fight for Richard's life.
Backstory
On April 26th 2023, Richard was taken to the ER for back pain and they found a 4-inch by 4-inch by 5-inch tumor in his chest and smaller spots of cancer all over his bones including his entire spine. They rushed Richard to the local children's hospital and he was diagnosed with stage 4 of a rare bone cancer called Ewing's sarcoma.
We were told we should prepare for end-of-life services and they believed he was terminal but God had other plans. Richard's cancer went into remission by July 27th 2023, he had no evidence of active cancer in his body. On November 22nd 2023, he had finished all 14 rounds of chemo and 45 rounds of proton radiation to his chest wall and got to ring the bell. He was accepted into a trial for low-dose chemo to help keep his cancer away but he kept becoming toxic with the medications and was removed from the study.
Update
Richard gets frequent PET scans because he had Ewing Sarcoma in so many places. On May 9th 2024 they found a groundglass nodule on his lower right lobe and was unsure if it was cancer or infection. They have been keeping a closer eye on him since then. His PET scan on September 26, 2024 showed a new lesion on his spine at T11 with a small mass protruding from it. This is a common finding for Ewing Sarcoma and they believe his groundglass mass is a rounded atelectasis, a type of lung collapse. We will know more October 3rd 2024 when he gets an MRI and we will make a plan for chemo.
Thank you for praying for my family throughout this rough time.
-The Mothersell Family
