#teamAnt
Donation protected
#teamANT
On August 23, 2019 my youngest nephew Anthony was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Anthony was your "normal" preteen almost 13 year old getting ready to enter the 7th grade and excited to play another season of football. The evening of the 22nd Ant was at a meet and greet for his new school with his mom Lindsay and became short of breath . After being evaluated and stabilized in the ER he was transferred to McLanes Children's Hospital in Temple, TX and started on an aggressive regiment of chemotherapy. This is where he stayed for the next 8 days.
Those 8 days Ant had a lot going he needed a chest tube to drain the fluid on the lung and a large mass was found on the other side, he had a PICC line placed, spinal tap, chemo, lots of blood products, antibiotics and steroids and on day 9 he was able to go home. Lindsay was taught how to essentially be his personal nurse while at home.
Once Ant returned home it meant daily visits to the outpatient clinic 30 miles each way for his chemo, checkups, transfusions, lab draws, special procedures all this within the first 30 days of diagnosis. A roadmap as they call it was issued and this is the protocol and gives you an idea as to what to expect during each phase of this diagnosis.After being discharged from the hospital Ant looked well in the pictures. He didn't look like a "cancer patient" he was up and about. I went to visit him shortly after his diagnosis and you could clearly tell this was not the case. Ant would get tired easily, slept a lot, wasn't eating great but was still in good spirits most of the time.
On Day 32 was Ant's last dose of chemo during the "induction phase", also having the port placed in his chest one of many spinal taps, bone marrow biopsy and aspiration. Ant reached the consolidation phase on day 35 and is in remission... woo hoo... at least that is what we thought. The in house test showed no blasts which would indicate remission but when the same sample was sent to Seattle it showed blasts so unsure if remission was really achieved... the consolidation phase was continued...
On day 133 the second bone marrow biopsy came back clean..now Ant is in remission...but still has a very long road a head of him...
Now a little over 5 months being diagnosed Ant has had a rough couple of weeks. He is not eating well due to the nausea and pain and sores in his mouth from the chemo. He has lost a significant amount of weight. He is having increased pain in his knees, he is being fitted for braces for his legs and is needing to use a rolling walker to help support him upright. Ant will start daily PT/OT soon, at the outpatient clinic, to help him gain his strength and if he is not able to tolerate food soon he will need to have a feeding tube placed for nutrition. All this at the age of 13!
I have created this page to help lessen the financial burden of Anthony's unforeseen medical condition. With any long term need of medical care comes added extra expenses : not being able to work, medical bills, co pays, gas going to and from daily appointments, prescriptions etc....Any donation would be greatly appreciated!! I am asking for your help to make things a little easier for Lindsay as she cares for Anthony.
Thank you for your continued support along with your thoughts and prayers for Anthony!! xo. #teamAnt
this is the link if you are interested in bone marrow donation:
http://bethematch.org
On August 23, 2019 my youngest nephew Anthony was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Anthony was your "normal" preteen almost 13 year old getting ready to enter the 7th grade and excited to play another season of football. The evening of the 22nd Ant was at a meet and greet for his new school with his mom Lindsay and became short of breath . After being evaluated and stabilized in the ER he was transferred to McLanes Children's Hospital in Temple, TX and started on an aggressive regiment of chemotherapy. This is where he stayed for the next 8 days.
Those 8 days Ant had a lot going he needed a chest tube to drain the fluid on the lung and a large mass was found on the other side, he had a PICC line placed, spinal tap, chemo, lots of blood products, antibiotics and steroids and on day 9 he was able to go home. Lindsay was taught how to essentially be his personal nurse while at home.
Once Ant returned home it meant daily visits to the outpatient clinic 30 miles each way for his chemo, checkups, transfusions, lab draws, special procedures all this within the first 30 days of diagnosis. A roadmap as they call it was issued and this is the protocol and gives you an idea as to what to expect during each phase of this diagnosis.After being discharged from the hospital Ant looked well in the pictures. He didn't look like a "cancer patient" he was up and about. I went to visit him shortly after his diagnosis and you could clearly tell this was not the case. Ant would get tired easily, slept a lot, wasn't eating great but was still in good spirits most of the time.
On Day 32 was Ant's last dose of chemo during the "induction phase", also having the port placed in his chest one of many spinal taps, bone marrow biopsy and aspiration. Ant reached the consolidation phase on day 35 and is in remission... woo hoo... at least that is what we thought. The in house test showed no blasts which would indicate remission but when the same sample was sent to Seattle it showed blasts so unsure if remission was really achieved... the consolidation phase was continued...
On day 133 the second bone marrow biopsy came back clean..now Ant is in remission...but still has a very long road a head of him...
Now a little over 5 months being diagnosed Ant has had a rough couple of weeks. He is not eating well due to the nausea and pain and sores in his mouth from the chemo. He has lost a significant amount of weight. He is having increased pain in his knees, he is being fitted for braces for his legs and is needing to use a rolling walker to help support him upright. Ant will start daily PT/OT soon, at the outpatient clinic, to help him gain his strength and if he is not able to tolerate food soon he will need to have a feeding tube placed for nutrition. All this at the age of 13!I have created this page to help lessen the financial burden of Anthony's unforeseen medical condition. With any long term need of medical care comes added extra expenses : not being able to work, medical bills, co pays, gas going to and from daily appointments, prescriptions etc....Any donation would be greatly appreciated!! I am asking for your help to make things a little easier for Lindsay as she cares for Anthony. Thank you for your continued support along with your thoughts and prayers for Anthony!! xo. #teamAnt
this is the link if you are interested in bone marrow donation:
http://bethematch.org
Organizer and beneficiary
Laurie Lund
Organizer
Holbrook, MA
Lindsay Lund
Beneficiary