#TeamMaddiekins

Hello All, Matt Szemela here.

 

My precious niece, Madeleine Abigail Longacre, is fighting for her life right now.

 

She is 3 years old.

 

Maddie, my sister Kacie, and my brother-in-law Rob need our help.

 

Kacie and Rob woke up early in the morning on 6/13/22 to find Maddie unresponsive. She was rushed via ambulance to a hospital near where they live in Maine, and was found to be severely anemic. Initial thoughts were that she had diabetes. As blood work began, the prognosis became much, much more serious. Another ambulance ride, this time to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital.

 

Maddie, the sweetest little girl I know, has been diagnosed with high risk b cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

 

She is 3 years old.

 

Several transfusions, a shiny new port for her chemo, lumbar punctures, and countless tests later, we have a vision of what the path forward looks like. 2.5 years of chemo. She's feeling better at the moment, but soon she will be feeling the effects of her chemo. She will lose her hair. She will deal with pain and nausea on a regular basis. She won't know why all of this is happening.

 

She. Is. 3. Years. Old.

 

ALL is the most treatable form of cancer, and she is predicted to make a full recovery. Maddie is a bright light. Maddie is a fighter. Maddie is a super hero. Complete and total remission is a real possibility. That said, the path to get there is going to be grueling, both for her and for her parents.

 

Kacie and Rob aren't able to work while they take care of Maddie. Insurance is still being sorted out, but we know that there will be sizeable deductibles each year, regular hour-plus trips (each way) for chemo, and unforeseen costs will always be a thing. This is an emotional as well as a financial crisis.

 

I want to help. Who will join me?

 

Onward.

 

#TeamMaddiekins