Caralina's chance at life

This fundraiser is held by friends of the Floding family, please read Caralina’s story and think about what you can do to help this little girl live.

Caralina Floding’s story told by Rebecca Cruz Floding, her Mother:

“In April 2010, my husband Shane returned from his third deployment in three years with the US Navy.A few days later on April 7, 2010, our 3 year old daughter Caralina was complaining of leg pain and could not walk. So we brought her to the emergency room for what we thought was a broken ankle, but the x-rays showed something different. Tragically, after blood tests, it was confirmed that there was no broken ankle, shockingly she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This began a year and a half of brutal chemo therapy treatment. Living in the hospital 1.5 years, enduring the horrific chemo treatment, it finally seemed to have worked. Caralina was in remission.

In January 17, 2013 Caralina was scheduled for her “Routine” checkup. We were told she had come out of remission and the leukemia was back. We were devastated. The approach this time was a necessary Bone Marrow Transplant. She underwent more chemo and grueling full body radiation treatment twice a day for a week. This made her so sick and so weak she could not eat, she had become so immune compromised that she was hospitalized 6 months. The transplant took place eventually on July 2, 2013. Everything looked promising. Caralina was again back in remission. Life as we knew it could not resume however, as Caralina needed to be home schooled and had to be kept out of the public for 8 more months. So it was just us, Mommy and Caralina time, we grew exceptionally close and were so thankful for this new chapter!
 
One year later, our world came crashing down again on July 15, 2014. Again Caralina was scheduled for her routine blood check. We were not the least bit worried as she was healthy and enjoying life as a little girl. Unfortunately, at about 7:00am the next morning I received a phone call her doctor stating that her leukemia had returned once again! The Bone Marrow transplant did NOT work.This news brought us to our knees. This brings us now to our third fight against this monster that is hurting our baby girl.
 
I cannot describe or even ask you to imagine the heartbreak and pure horror of this devastating news. After having a ton of tests done and a check of her bone marrow we found out that this time the leukemia is very aggressive and that already 90% of her cells - in just three weeks, were already taken over!  She is now undergoing very intense chemotherapy our last hope is to get her into a new experimental treatment program offered at Seattle Children's Hospital.  It is a new T-Cell treatment that takes her t-cells so they can be genetically modified to kill the rest of the deadly leukemia cells that have so far proved to be indestructible.

Our insurance may not cover all if any of this treatment. There will be a lot of traveling, hotel stays and added expenses that are also not covered. But at this point this is the only option we have for our Caralina. A second transplant is also in the works further down the line if she recovers and makes it to that point. We are out of options. This treatment is our last hope. No matter the cost, we have to find a way to save our daughter.

Through all of this Caralina has not lost her spirit!  She is still this amazing little girl with a smile on her face and love in her heart. At only 8 years old, my daughter has experienced more than most adults, it is truly heart breaking.  As I sat crying, holding her, telling her that her leukemia was back again she hugged me and told me to stop crying, that everything was going to be "ok".  Of course that made me cry harder, but she is so amazingly strong."
 
The Floding family never thought they would have to ask for financial help. They are grateful for anything you can give to help their Caralina live.  NO parent should have to deny their child life saving medical treatment because of finances.  Help Rebecca and Shane save their only child.