Rally for Remi!

Hello all,

My name is Rachael Carleston. Im currently serving in the U.S ARMY and  stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado with my wife, Lindsey McCloud
. My family lives in San Antonio,Texas where I was born and raised. I am a proud aunt to the sweetest 5 year old niece there ever was, Remington Gayle.  February 13th, 2021, Remi woke up to major pain in her lower abdomen and back. Barely able to stand, Remi was rushed to the closest emergency room by my sister, Krystal (Remi’s mom). Doctors immediately took Remi back for advanced testing. After the doctors reviewed Remi’s CT scan, my sister was informed that this was not appendicitis as they had originally thought, but rather a tumor on her right kidney. The doctors also said they needed to transport Remi via ambulance to Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio. A pediatric oncologist and surgeon were already there on standby. The pediatric oncologist and surgeon explained to Krystal and Travis (Remi’s father) that Remi had a cancerous Wilm’s tumor/ nephroblastoma growing on her right kidney. The tumor had ruptured, spilling cancerous cells into Remi’s abdomen. The doctors stressed that the tumor and the affected kidney would need to be removed as soon as possible.
Adding to the severity of the situation, on Febuary 14th, Winter/Ice Storm Uri wreaked havoc over South Texas leaving millions without water and electricity during subzero temperatures. Due to the large amounts of ice and snow on the roads, the operation team was unable to perform Remi’s surgery and it was pushed to February 16th. Remi was stable within that time frame, but was running a high fever. Remi’s family was heartbroken, unable to comfort Remi due to the road closures and COVID restrictions within the hospital.
The day of her surgery, Remi was under anesthesia for nearly 5 hours. Due to an extreme loss of blood during her surgery, Remi also had to have a blood transfusion. The surgery was much longer than the doctors had anticipated and the incision they were required to make was much larger than they’d hoped. Upon completion of the surgery, the doctors informed Krystal and Travis that the tumor was the size of a football and determined this tumor was Stage 3 cancer. However, the kidney and tumor were successfully removed!
Remi has been a real trooper through this whole process. Of course, constantly missing and requesting her beloved chocolate milk and McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets ❤️.
After the surgery, as if things could not get worse, due to Texas’s rigid temperatures and never-ending ice and snow, a pipe burst in Krystal’s apartment walls. The apartment is now completely flooded and unlivable. In particular, Remi’s room and all of her belongings were compromised as a result. Family and friends have done their absolute best to help salvage items and furniture as well as dry areas within the apartment.

Currently, Remi is running a high fever, but she is stable. She is being attended to by round-the-clock doctors and nurses and treated with IV antibiotics. We are waiting for the pathology results, in high hopes that this cancer has not spread. Remi is in a fair amount of pain and has a long road to go with chemo and radiation after recovery.

Remi is very lucky to have health insurance that will cover some expenses, but this will be a long battle for REMI AND my family. Any DONATIONS that could help take some financial burden off their shoulders would be humbly accepted.

This is very important to me and near and dear to my heart. Cancer is not something any child should have to go through and this is a tough ask from us. Any assistance towards this cause would truly be appreciated!