PenaStayStrong
Donation protected
I am raising money for one of the most wonderful, caring families there is out there - Lena Laferriere and Antonio "Tony" Pena.
Tony, my son's best friend, my daughter's close ally, a boy both my husband and I love like our own, a guy who is friends with many has been given a heart breaking diagnosis - at only age 17! It all began with "oh, it's just a concussion" 6 weeks ago. "Concussion" symptoms didn't go away though - they got worse. This happy teenager, full of life, great athlete, good student with eyes on RIT University for sign language studies, always smiling, and every free minute on the go suddenly became quiet. He tried going to school but by mid-morning he was feeling so sickly that he had to go home. He pulled all the energy he had to join in on get togethers but he ended up having to lay down because of his pain. Sadly, Tony's symptoms became noticeable to everyone and his mom pushed to get an MRI done.
After nearly two weeks in the hospital Tony got diagnosed with pedi-glioblastoma, grade 4. A brain tumor that is embedded in his brain stem and is inoperable. Our hearts are broken, we do not understand why. What we do understand is, that Tony is a fighter, he is young, he is healthy, he is strong, and he is stubborn. He can and will fight this horrible thing that has invaded his body. Unfortunately, that fight will be very long, will be testing him and his family day after day. Tony will endure radiation 5 times a week for 6-7 weeks, after those weeks he will be on oral chemotherapy for a full year. After that the outstanding team of doctors that are treating him will re-evaluate.
Lena, a single mom who is self-employed has had to take three weeks off without pay and will have to take off many more to stay with Tony. The medical bills will be stacking up one by one, taking away mom's time from Tony. Lena and her family shouldn't have to worry about those bills. They should be there to watch over this young guy, make sure that he gets back on his feet so we can see him laugh, play sports, graduate high school and go on to become a skilled sign language interpreter. I am asking for your help to cover the costs of hospital stays and the treatments for Tony. Your support means the world to Tony and his family. Whatever you can spare Tony, his family and I will appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.
Tony, my son's best friend, my daughter's close ally, a boy both my husband and I love like our own, a guy who is friends with many has been given a heart breaking diagnosis - at only age 17! It all began with "oh, it's just a concussion" 6 weeks ago. "Concussion" symptoms didn't go away though - they got worse. This happy teenager, full of life, great athlete, good student with eyes on RIT University for sign language studies, always smiling, and every free minute on the go suddenly became quiet. He tried going to school but by mid-morning he was feeling so sickly that he had to go home. He pulled all the energy he had to join in on get togethers but he ended up having to lay down because of his pain. Sadly, Tony's symptoms became noticeable to everyone and his mom pushed to get an MRI done.
After nearly two weeks in the hospital Tony got diagnosed with pedi-glioblastoma, grade 4. A brain tumor that is embedded in his brain stem and is inoperable. Our hearts are broken, we do not understand why. What we do understand is, that Tony is a fighter, he is young, he is healthy, he is strong, and he is stubborn. He can and will fight this horrible thing that has invaded his body. Unfortunately, that fight will be very long, will be testing him and his family day after day. Tony will endure radiation 5 times a week for 6-7 weeks, after those weeks he will be on oral chemotherapy for a full year. After that the outstanding team of doctors that are treating him will re-evaluate.
Lena, a single mom who is self-employed has had to take three weeks off without pay and will have to take off many more to stay with Tony. The medical bills will be stacking up one by one, taking away mom's time from Tony. Lena and her family shouldn't have to worry about those bills. They should be there to watch over this young guy, make sure that he gets back on his feet so we can see him laugh, play sports, graduate high school and go on to become a skilled sign language interpreter. I am asking for your help to cover the costs of hospital stays and the treatments for Tony. Your support means the world to Tony and his family. Whatever you can spare Tony, his family and I will appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.
Organizer
Maria Rodriguez
Organizer
Shrewsbury, MA
