The Blanchfield’s need your help!
Donation protected
Our goal of $75,000 has been reached as of today due a very generous donation. Thank you to everyone who helped get us here!!
The Dalai Lama once said, “tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”
But how much tragedy can one family bare?
Back in April of 2015, my good friends David and Terry found out that their home was going to unexpectedly grow by 4 feet. Identical twin boys were joining the Blanchfield home. Already parents of two sweet little girls, David and Terry made immediate plans for the future. The pregnancy was normal and healthy until the 18 weeks gestation, when they found out their twin boys had Twin to Twin transfusion syndrome. This meant almost immediate fetal surgery in Toronto to ensure that the twins both had the best possible chance at life. Leaving their little girls behind with family, Terry and David flew to Toronto and had the successful surgery. From 19 weeks to 30 weeks gestation, Terry and David prepared for their little boys arrival, and at 30 weeks, Christopher and Mark made their grand entrance. Being 10 weeks premature, the boys were whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care. Their stay in the NICU between the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and The Red Deer hospital was fairly uneventful. The boys grew, became stronger every day and after 49 days in the NICU were able to go home with their mommy, daddy and big sisters.
Just one month into being home as a family of six, Terry’s motherly instinct kicked in and she knew something was not right with one of the twins. November 30th, 2016 was the day their life would change forever. Christopher was not well he had missed a feed and was seemingly in pain. David and Terry decided to take him to the Stollery in Edmonton. Christopher was diagnosed with Late onset GBS meningitis. Christopher had his first MRI the beginning of December and it showed swelling of his brain. All his parents could do was hope. He had been on a ventilator since arriving at the hospital. When the doctors made the decision to wean Christopher’s sedation and take him off of the ventilator, Terry and David couldn’t wait for their sweet baby to wake up and open his eyes. A day that never came. The days turned into weeks, but they never gave up hoping their little boy would pull through. Christopher’s first and only Christmas was spent with his family at his side in the hospital. 2016 ended with pleas for their little boy to wake up and come home. In the first few days of 2017, a repeat MRI of Christopher’s brain was done. Terry and David were given the tragic news that Christopher’s brain had liquified. Their baby boy, was never going to wake-up. Unable to comprehend why, these parents were faced with decisions that no parent should ever have to make. Under the direction of doctors, Terry and David decided to let their little boy earn his wings. Because Edmonton does not have a paediatric palliative care center, the whole family was transferred to the Rotary Flames House in Calgary. For about two weeks, Terry, David, their young girls and Mark, Christopher’s identical sole, woke up everyday, wondering if it would be their last day with Christopher. On January 25th, 2017, Terry should have been celebrating her 37th birthday at home with candles, cake, family and friends. But instead that morning, David woke up with Christopher beside him and whispered to his son, “please don’t die today, it’s mommy’s birthday.” Around noon that day, Christopher’s breathing patterns changed, and Terry and David were told by doctors that these could be his final moments, Christopher fought on. Christophers breathing would slow so much that his skin turned blue and then his breath would come in gasps as his tiny body continued to fight. Christopher fought through several of these events throughout the day and into the night. At 15 minutes past midnight, no longer his mommy’s birthday, Christopher took his last breath, cuddled between his parents.
Arriving home to Drayton Valley a few days later, it was anything but arriving home. It was very difficult for Terry, as the last time she’d been home was when her son was leaving for the hospital. As every parent does, David and Terry found the strength to get up each day and be the best they could be for their other children. Tragedy however, was about to strike their family again. In May of 2017, just three months after losing their son, David was initially diagnosed with demyelinating disease, but upon further examination and tests, David was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in November 2017. Robbed of a life with Christopher, Terry and David were now facing this very fast progressing disease, that would rob Terry of her husband, their daughters and son of their dad, and David of himself without immediate intervention.
David has extreme fatigue. A once very active father and outdoorsman, he is reduced to being able to only walk 200-300 meters at a time before needing to rest. David has terrible balance, making it difficult to hold his son who isn’t walking yet. His hands and feet are numb and the numbness is spreading through his extremities. David is sore aching all the time. He has difficulty swallowing, suffers from migraines and his mood swings are unpredictable. For a man in his early forty’s that wants to be rough housing with his kids, having tea parties with his girls, and being a helpful husband, he’s reduced to accepting that he can no longer do most of the things he once could. He’s simply too tired and sore to play. David’s MS is taking the father, husband and friend that we all once knew away at an alarming rate. David’s employer has been fantastic through it all. They’ve responded to his limited abilities and are changing his responsibilities within his work. But without treatment, David will not be able to continue working, and provide for his wife and children. As his MS is progressing very fast, David’s prognosis is bleak and he feels guilty that his children will not have the opportunities they would if he were healthy.
There is a treatment available abroad, that comes with a price tag of $75,000.
HSCT. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. As reported, HSCT is currently the only scientific demonstrated and confirmed treatment to stop the progression of MS. This is not a new medical procedure; it has been performed millions of times all around the world since the 1960's for treatment of cancer (now approximately 50,000 times per year) and has been reported as being used successfully to cure several types of hematologically-rooted autoimmune disorders since the early 1990's (such as MS, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, CIDP and others).
Please help support David to be able to have this treatment. Without it, Terry will lose her husband and their children will not get to grow up with their daddy, only have memories of who he was.
Every little bit helps.
“This world may bring deep darkness, but we are the bearers of light. We’ll join our flames together, and shine in the blackest of nights”-John Mark Green

The Dalai Lama once said, “tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”
But how much tragedy can one family bare?
Back in April of 2015, my good friends David and Terry found out that their home was going to unexpectedly grow by 4 feet. Identical twin boys were joining the Blanchfield home. Already parents of two sweet little girls, David and Terry made immediate plans for the future. The pregnancy was normal and healthy until the 18 weeks gestation, when they found out their twin boys had Twin to Twin transfusion syndrome. This meant almost immediate fetal surgery in Toronto to ensure that the twins both had the best possible chance at life. Leaving their little girls behind with family, Terry and David flew to Toronto and had the successful surgery. From 19 weeks to 30 weeks gestation, Terry and David prepared for their little boys arrival, and at 30 weeks, Christopher and Mark made their grand entrance. Being 10 weeks premature, the boys were whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care. Their stay in the NICU between the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and The Red Deer hospital was fairly uneventful. The boys grew, became stronger every day and after 49 days in the NICU were able to go home with their mommy, daddy and big sisters.
Just one month into being home as a family of six, Terry’s motherly instinct kicked in and she knew something was not right with one of the twins. November 30th, 2016 was the day their life would change forever. Christopher was not well he had missed a feed and was seemingly in pain. David and Terry decided to take him to the Stollery in Edmonton. Christopher was diagnosed with Late onset GBS meningitis. Christopher had his first MRI the beginning of December and it showed swelling of his brain. All his parents could do was hope. He had been on a ventilator since arriving at the hospital. When the doctors made the decision to wean Christopher’s sedation and take him off of the ventilator, Terry and David couldn’t wait for their sweet baby to wake up and open his eyes. A day that never came. The days turned into weeks, but they never gave up hoping their little boy would pull through. Christopher’s first and only Christmas was spent with his family at his side in the hospital. 2016 ended with pleas for their little boy to wake up and come home. In the first few days of 2017, a repeat MRI of Christopher’s brain was done. Terry and David were given the tragic news that Christopher’s brain had liquified. Their baby boy, was never going to wake-up. Unable to comprehend why, these parents were faced with decisions that no parent should ever have to make. Under the direction of doctors, Terry and David decided to let their little boy earn his wings. Because Edmonton does not have a paediatric palliative care center, the whole family was transferred to the Rotary Flames House in Calgary. For about two weeks, Terry, David, their young girls and Mark, Christopher’s identical sole, woke up everyday, wondering if it would be their last day with Christopher. On January 25th, 2017, Terry should have been celebrating her 37th birthday at home with candles, cake, family and friends. But instead that morning, David woke up with Christopher beside him and whispered to his son, “please don’t die today, it’s mommy’s birthday.” Around noon that day, Christopher’s breathing patterns changed, and Terry and David were told by doctors that these could be his final moments, Christopher fought on. Christophers breathing would slow so much that his skin turned blue and then his breath would come in gasps as his tiny body continued to fight. Christopher fought through several of these events throughout the day and into the night. At 15 minutes past midnight, no longer his mommy’s birthday, Christopher took his last breath, cuddled between his parents.
Arriving home to Drayton Valley a few days later, it was anything but arriving home. It was very difficult for Terry, as the last time she’d been home was when her son was leaving for the hospital. As every parent does, David and Terry found the strength to get up each day and be the best they could be for their other children. Tragedy however, was about to strike their family again. In May of 2017, just three months after losing their son, David was initially diagnosed with demyelinating disease, but upon further examination and tests, David was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in November 2017. Robbed of a life with Christopher, Terry and David were now facing this very fast progressing disease, that would rob Terry of her husband, their daughters and son of their dad, and David of himself without immediate intervention.
David has extreme fatigue. A once very active father and outdoorsman, he is reduced to being able to only walk 200-300 meters at a time before needing to rest. David has terrible balance, making it difficult to hold his son who isn’t walking yet. His hands and feet are numb and the numbness is spreading through his extremities. David is sore aching all the time. He has difficulty swallowing, suffers from migraines and his mood swings are unpredictable. For a man in his early forty’s that wants to be rough housing with his kids, having tea parties with his girls, and being a helpful husband, he’s reduced to accepting that he can no longer do most of the things he once could. He’s simply too tired and sore to play. David’s MS is taking the father, husband and friend that we all once knew away at an alarming rate. David’s employer has been fantastic through it all. They’ve responded to his limited abilities and are changing his responsibilities within his work. But without treatment, David will not be able to continue working, and provide for his wife and children. As his MS is progressing very fast, David’s prognosis is bleak and he feels guilty that his children will not have the opportunities they would if he were healthy.
There is a treatment available abroad, that comes with a price tag of $75,000.
HSCT. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. As reported, HSCT is currently the only scientific demonstrated and confirmed treatment to stop the progression of MS. This is not a new medical procedure; it has been performed millions of times all around the world since the 1960's for treatment of cancer (now approximately 50,000 times per year) and has been reported as being used successfully to cure several types of hematologically-rooted autoimmune disorders since the early 1990's (such as MS, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, CIDP and others).
Please help support David to be able to have this treatment. Without it, Terry will lose her husband and their children will not get to grow up with their daddy, only have memories of who he was.
Every little bit helps.
“This world may bring deep darkness, but we are the bearers of light. We’ll join our flames together, and shine in the blackest of nights”-John Mark Green
Organizer and beneficiary
Charity Bradfield
Organizer
Terry Blanchfield
Beneficiary
