We need your help for Maddy!
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We need your help!Madeline Shayla Holloway is a vibrant young girl enduring a life-threatening and life-altering battle to save her life. Last spring, what started out as an assumed pulled muscle was quickly diagnosed as High Grade Osteosarcoma in Maddy's left pelvic bone and hip joint. After multiple rounds and many months of intense chemotherapy proved unsuccessful in shrinking her tumor Madeline's doctor had to make a very difficult decision and advised Maddy and her parents that her survival was contingent upon a hemipelvectomy and left leg amputation at the young age of just 12 years old. This was a grueling decision for Madeline and her parents to make but the choice became very clear when she had minimal response to her chemotherapy treatments. Maddy's cancer is extremely aggressive and there is simply no alternative treatment option for Osteosarcoma patients. Osteosarcoma is a cancer of the connective bones and tissue. There are very few new treatments available yet it is the third leading cause of death in children. The only reliable treatment is extremely brutal chemotherapy and amputation or surgical removal of the tumor site. Madeline's tumor was in her pelvic bone and in her socket joint making amputation of her leg the only way to guarantee total removal of her very large and deadly tumor.
Maddy is a generous and loving girl who enjoys, more than anything, spending time with her family and friends. She was very active in softball and volleyball and swims all summer long. Madeline loves to bake and cook dinner and has been known to serve the family pancakes in bed on weekends. None of these activities will ever be easy for Maddy again. Madeline's tumor was located in an area that left her very little structure for a base for a prosthesis and her doctors have told her use of a prosthetic leg will be minimal. It will take years of extensive physical therapy for Maddy to be able to live any type of active lifestyle.
Madeline is now thirteen and lives with her single mother, twin sister Sydney and older sister Gemma in a two bedroom rental apartment. After the amputation it was clear that Maddy could no longer navigate the non-handicap compliant rental apartment. Moving Maddy away from her home of over seven years is a great financial hardship for her family and there are numerous costs that will come along with making her new residence handicap accessible. Madeline and her family will be leaving behind their current home and relocating in order to properly accommodate her limited mobility and provide her with the space and access needed for her new life. Maddy's grandmother has generously offered to relocate as well, and move in with the family in order to assist Maddy's mother and the girls.
Maddy still has at least six more months of treatments ahead of her while continuing to rehabilitate. Since brutal chemotherapy treatments are the only option for Maddy, even though she previously showed she received little benefit prior to surgery, she has no choice but to treat her Osteosarcoma to keep her cancer from spreading. Maddy missed her seventh grade year and will miss her entire 8th grade year while fighting this disease. Even while battling cancer Madeline's brilliant spirit continues to shine and her beautiful smile has not dulled.
Please help Madeline and her family. Your donations will be used to make her home handicap accessible and for her medical care which will include inordinate costs for the rest of her life. Any additional donations will be used towards Maddy's education so she has a chance at supporting herself and thriving regardless of these terrible circumstances. We are so grateful for your donations.
Organizer
Amira Yunis
Organizer
Hackettstown, NJ
