Knocked down, but still smiling...
Donation protected
Saturday, October 1st, 2016 is a day we will never forget. That was the day Edenn Blunt (13) went from living life like an “untouchable” teenager to being diagnosed with Pediatric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a rare, incurable cancer that required a series of invasive surgeries. Doctors were able to remove the softball-sized tumor from her abdomen, but they had to take out 3/4 of her stomach, 2.5 feet of intestine and a portion of her liver to do it.
GIST only affects about 7 people per million and only 1-2% of those cases are pediatric. Such a rare disease means that treatment options for children are virtually non-existent.
This fund is to help the Blunt family (Dana (mom), Chris (dad), Edenn, and Jadenn (older sister)) manage the costs of frequent scans, as well as travel expenses to research facilities throughout the country. Edenn’s condition also means that her mother misses work on the bad days to stay home and look after her, making ends even harder to meet all around. Right now the goal is to keep up on the scans as Edenn tries to enroll in experimental trials for Pediatric GIST later this year.
Edenn plays basketball and softball like she was born for the court and the field. Her softball team and others who have seen her play affectionately call her “Bulldog”, because even though she’s so tiny, it’s so much fun to watch how FIERCE she is—nothing slows her down. So when she collapsed at a friend’s house last fall, even the doctors thought it was something “simple”… like appendicitis. One life flight and many nerve-wracking hours later, we found out that no, it was not something simple. It was pediatric GIST. And no one saw it coming, either. Edenn had felt completely fine up to that point and regular check-ups never detected anything. It completely blindsided us.
The good news is that the doctors are pleased and even impressed with how well Edenn is recovering from her operations, yay! For us, that's like a triple-play in the third inning—it's amazing, and we're elated, but the game is still going. She’s back in school and is so grateful to be spending time with her friends, both in and out of class. You can see it in her determination to be as active as possible every day. She’s an inspiration not only to us, but to complete strangers, too. Edenn has a special charm that just brightens your day. Two of the flight paramedics from her life flight even came by to check in on her after surgery. Neither of them could really explain it, but they both just said, “It isn’t every day that you meet a little girl like her.” And we couldn’t agree more!
Just like Edenn, those around her love sports, too. So it felt completely natural when everyone (community included) “teamed up” to face this head on. Whether by giving time, money, or just a kind word, everyone’s generosity has meant so much to the Blunts on their journey so far. And that's how a team works—picking each other up when we fall, helping each other endure the hardships…
Until we can all celebrate that victory together.
On behalf of Edenn’s family and the community around her, we invite you to join our team and help Edenn move forward in her recovery and keep enjoying life to the fullest.
GIST only affects about 7 people per million and only 1-2% of those cases are pediatric. Such a rare disease means that treatment options for children are virtually non-existent.
This fund is to help the Blunt family (Dana (mom), Chris (dad), Edenn, and Jadenn (older sister)) manage the costs of frequent scans, as well as travel expenses to research facilities throughout the country. Edenn’s condition also means that her mother misses work on the bad days to stay home and look after her, making ends even harder to meet all around. Right now the goal is to keep up on the scans as Edenn tries to enroll in experimental trials for Pediatric GIST later this year.
Edenn plays basketball and softball like she was born for the court and the field. Her softball team and others who have seen her play affectionately call her “Bulldog”, because even though she’s so tiny, it’s so much fun to watch how FIERCE she is—nothing slows her down. So when she collapsed at a friend’s house last fall, even the doctors thought it was something “simple”… like appendicitis. One life flight and many nerve-wracking hours later, we found out that no, it was not something simple. It was pediatric GIST. And no one saw it coming, either. Edenn had felt completely fine up to that point and regular check-ups never detected anything. It completely blindsided us.
The good news is that the doctors are pleased and even impressed with how well Edenn is recovering from her operations, yay! For us, that's like a triple-play in the third inning—it's amazing, and we're elated, but the game is still going. She’s back in school and is so grateful to be spending time with her friends, both in and out of class. You can see it in her determination to be as active as possible every day. She’s an inspiration not only to us, but to complete strangers, too. Edenn has a special charm that just brightens your day. Two of the flight paramedics from her life flight even came by to check in on her after surgery. Neither of them could really explain it, but they both just said, “It isn’t every day that you meet a little girl like her.” And we couldn’t agree more!
Just like Edenn, those around her love sports, too. So it felt completely natural when everyone (community included) “teamed up” to face this head on. Whether by giving time, money, or just a kind word, everyone’s generosity has meant so much to the Blunts on their journey so far. And that's how a team works—picking each other up when we fall, helping each other endure the hardships…
Until we can all celebrate that victory together.
On behalf of Edenn’s family and the community around her, we invite you to join our team and help Edenn move forward in her recovery and keep enjoying life to the fullest.
Organiser and beneficiary
Lynda Kristoffersen
Organiser
Winston, OR
Dana Keith-Blunt
Beneficiary
