Walking with the Winninghams

Luke is 3. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and too much joy to bottle up into one tiny little toddler-sized body. Every morning Luke walks his sister to her classroom with his mom (Ashley), before heading to the office. Luke “files” papers for a few minutes, checks in with the principal to see if anything else needs his attention, before “clocking out” and heading home. He takes his job seriously and has yet to miss a morning. The staff love him, and the students give him high fives and wave as he buckles himself into his car seat.

Except for this week.

Because, this morning, Luke woke up at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

He was rolled down to have a Port-a-Cath placed inside of his tiny 3 yr-old chest.

And started his first round of chemotherapy for his newly diagnosed Leukemia.

Luke doesn’t want to be at the hospital. Luke wants to be home.

THE WINNINGHAMS NEED A WIN.

Lilly is 6. She has red hair and brown eyes. Lilly loves to dance, craft, and play with her kindergarten friends on the playground during recess. Lilly played soccer for the first time this year, she begged to be goalie at every practice and was always wearing a smile when guarding the net.

When Lilly started getting tired easily her parents took her to the doctor.

After having an echocardiogram completed, it was found that Lilly had multiple moderate-sized holes in the right chamber of her heart (Atrial Septal Defect).

A team of cardiologists consulted and put together a plan to fix her heart in the least invasive way, unfortunately when they began the surgery it became clear that the holes were too large to fix, with the current plan that they had in place.

Lilly went home. Lilly has been worried about another heart surgery.

Lilly has been scheduled for Open-Heart Surgery at Doernbecher Children's Hospital on June 23rd.

THE WINNINGHAMS NEED A WIN.

For those of you who don’t know Ashley and Logan (Luke & Lilly’s parents) they are two of the kindest, biggest-hearted, Coos County folk you will ever meet.

It means that they are not used to having to ask for help because they’re usually the ones offering it.

And it means that this time they need us, as a community, to walk through this season with them.

BECAUSE THE WINNINGHAMS NEED A WIN.

Help us take on the financial pressures of rent, electricity, water, food, gas, car payments, lodging, treatment travel, and uncovered medical-related expenses.

…So that they can focus on the two things that really matter, Luke & Lilly during this time.

We are asking that you step out, and please join us in doing what you can, to lift this sweet family up through giving, sharing, and praying.

Help us, make a seemingly insurmountable season, survivable (literally).

THE PLAN

Luke is expected to remain at Doernbecher for at least another week, followed by an additional three weeks of outpatient chemotherapy infusions in Portland, where they can closely observe him. If everything goes as hoped he will then be able to return home (Coos Bay, OR) and travel up for treatments. His doctors anticipate that he will be in treatment for the next 2-3 years, with a goal of eventually tapering from IV chemotherapy infusions to an oral chemotherapy medication that he can take at home, while continuing to monitor his cancer through multiple tests.

Lilly is expected to be up at Doernbecher for her pre and post operative recovery and then will be able to return home for an additional 6-8 weeks of limited activity and rest.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave your nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6