Hi my name is Samuel Weidenhofer,

I’m fundraising for Valerie and her incredible family. Valerie is 16th years old. In 2024 at the age of 14 she was diagnosed with a high-grade label of Osteosarcoma (bone cancer on her right femur) on her 1st day of high school.

Valerie has been playing soccer since the age of 12, and in the summer of 2024 she was selected for her high school varsity team. She was only able to play one game before everything changed

On September 4th 2024, she was diagnosed with high-grade Osteosarcoma, beginning a journey no child or family should ever have to face.

She was immediately admitted for inpatient chemotherapy, spending three months in hospital with only brief 1–2 day visits home each week.

In December 2024, she underwent a major surgery where her right femur was removed and replaced with a metal prosthetic, followed by six more months of extremely aggressive chemotherapy.

The treatment was so intense that her prosthetic failed to heal properly and broke in March 2025, requiring emergency surgery and a larger replacement. From December 2024 through August 2025, Valerie was unable to walk, spending months fighting through pain, surgeries, and recovery.

After nine months of hospitalizations, procedures, and chemotherapy, Valerie finally reached a moment of hope when she rang the bell in May 2025, believing she had beaten cancer.

She began the long process of learning to walk again and slowly rebuilding her strength. By September 2025, she was well enough to return to high school with significant support, just beginning to take her first independent steps again.

However, in October 2025, during a hospital-supported survivor trip, Valerie began showing concerning symptoms. What was initially thought to be a virus quickly escalated, and upon returning home she was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia.

She was immediately admitted to ICU, critically unwell with dangerously low platelets, and began emergency transfusions and chemotherapy.

Since then, she has endured repeated hospitalisations, complications, organ toxicity affecting her liver, neurological symptoms, and ongoing treatment challenges.

Doctors are now considering advanced options such as CAR T-cell therapy and a bone marrow transplant, while continuing to fight to stabilise her condition and give her time to recover.

As a family, they are now facing overwhelming financial hardship while caring for Valerie full-time. With one parent unable to work due to 24/7 care needs and the other already having taken extended time off during her initial diagnosis, the family is struggling to cover basic living costs including rent, utilities, and essential medical expenses.

Despite applying for disability support, their application has been closed twice without notice. Any support would go directly toward helping Valerie continue her treatment and giving this family the stability they desperately need during an unimaginable battle.

As well as all of this her biggest dream is to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup. If anyone can help with this please reach out- they are based in Seattle and would love to attend a match there or anywhere in the USA! ❤️