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Teddie's Tribe takes on her tumor

Genevieve & Brett have had the most unimaginable 7 weeks a parent can have. The best way I could find to put it in words is through their own thoughts. I adapted the following from Facebook/Instagram posts she has shared...
"August 9th we had a routine 11 minute “rule out” MRI for headaches for our 3 year old, Teddie, to show “it’s probably just allergies”....that lasted 2 1/2 hours.  Fast forward to a neurosurgeon coming in telling us our perfectly healthy baby has a brain tumor..(at that moment everything went white and slow motion and I felt like I was not in my own reality—how was this my life, her life?!)
After several opinions & second opinions our perfect girl had to have an extensive brain tumor biopsy and spinal surgery. She was a warrior. Braver than I was. Braver than her dad was. Braver than any of us could ever be. Minus a big scare in the recovery, the surgery went perfectly. To include removing her top spinal vertebrae to relieve pressure from the tumor.
She recovered beyond amazingly... bounced back to her sassy, stubborn, sweet self in no time.  A warrior.
A week later, the results...
The plan...
Chemo.
12-15 months.
Again, my vision went white & everyone sounded like they were talking in slow motion & I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
First day of chemo/surgery: We had to be at the hospital for 5am.  We had to wake her out of bed, and put her in the car for an hour ride in. All before her 2 hour surgery to put her port in ((successfully!!!!)), then right to her first chemo treatment for 5 hours in the oncology department.  She was tired, grouchy, uncomfortable, sore, mad. It was a long day, but music therapy and playdoh got us through.  The car ride home took over 2 hours. Her nausea set in and it was awful for our girl.
We are now at week 5 of treatment.  We have had ups & downs.  A middle of the night speed to the emergency room for a scare. And an even scarier allergic reaction to one of her chemo treatments. But SHE has continued to be a warrior.  Shown us strength. Given us strength.  Been our strength.
The past few weeks have not been easy.  But they’ve shown us what we already knew.  She is a warrior.  The strongest girl.  And we have the support of THE most amazing support system we could ask for. #teddiestribe #thepupspack"
Throughout all of this they have had to maintain normalcy for Teddie's 8 & 6 year old sisters at home. Not an easy task on a good day, let alone a day where you end up in the hospital. Genevieve was not able to go back to work (Kindergarden Teacher), Brett has had to miss days of work (Insurance Broker & Real Estate Agent) & through it all they've had to deal with spending more money getting in and out of the city as well as the medical bills beginning to come in. Friends & family have already stepped up big and taken the girls, made countless meals, dropped off toys/giftcards and sent many a bottle of wine to their door.
At this point it only seems natural to begin to solicit monetary donations in a large way to help relieve the mental burden medical bills can bring. They are prideful people and were uncomfortable with the thought of fundraising for their family, but if you know anything about the two of them, they would be the first standing up and doing the same for anyone they know and even people they don't. Please do what you can and say a prayer for Teddie even if you can't. The more the merrier in #teddiestribe
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Donations 

  • Chris Pennisi
    • $50 
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Shelby Bukhenik
Organizer
Stoughton, MA
Genevieve Criscuolo
Beneficiary

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