Donate For Damon!

Two years ago, life turned upside down for the Gammon family when the youngest of their three children, Damon (then 6 years old), was diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma  (stage III) - a very rare and aggressive form of cancer.  Surgery to remove the mass in his abdomen that had lead to his diagnosis was scheduled immediately and it was discovered that the cancer had not only overtaken one of his adrenal glands, but it had also destroyed the underlying kidney.  The surgeon was able to successfully remove the gland and kidney and Jason and Audrey were relieved to hear that the cancer did not appear to have spread any farther.  Meanwhile, Damon was thrilled to have a cool scar to show off.  Two months later Damon celebrated his 7th birthday cancer-free.   

For several months, Damon continued to beat the odds as follow up scans remained clean.  But then in December, 7 months post-surgery, scans revealed new tumors had developed in both his abdomen and lungs.  Jason and Audrey were devastated, but with complete faith they moved forward with the oncologists recommendation for an extremely aggressive chemotherapy protocol.  After 7 months on this grueling schedule, Damon was excited to start 3rd grade chemo-free.  



Following the chemo treatments, the tumors in his lungs and abdomen had shrunk enough to be removed surgically, but surgeons here in Charlotte were hesitant to move forward given how advanced Damon's cancer was.  Audrey and Jason's prayers to find a surgeon willing to perform the surgeries were soon answered by  top pediatric oncological surgeon Dr. Andrew Murphy at St. Jude's in Tennessee.   Both lung surgeries were successful and Damon was on his way to recovery and back home in Charlotte just in time to spend a wonderful Christmas with his family.  

Unfortunately, Damon rang in the New Year in the hospital with back to back severe staph infections that ultimately resulted in the removal of his port.

Bad news returned when new growths were discovered near Damon's colon.  Mid March 2018, back in Tennessee, Dr. Murphy was able to remove this growth successfully.  After so many major surgeries and his body still recovering from the long-term effects of the intensive chemotherapy protocol, Damon kept fighting with a smile on his face.

At this point, because the cancer was no longer responding to any standard treatments,  Damon's oncologist, Dr. Jessica Bell lobbied  tirelessly and succeeded in getting him a newer cancer drug, Keytruda, that had been shown to be very effective against certain types of cancer.  For three months he went in for transfusions while everyone prayed for this to finally be his miracle.  

At the beginning of June, scans revealed that this would not be the case.  Heartbreakingly, the remaining tumor had not only tripled in size, but several new ones were found throughout his lungs.  Dr. Bell was forced to concede to Audrey and Jason that modern medicine had run out of options and that there would be no further treatments.  



Undeterred, Damon is currently looking forward to June 19th when he will be celebrating his 9th birthday at a new found favorite location, Dave and Buster's.  Though devastated, Audrey and Jason are determined to find JOY in each day and live life to the fullest this summer.  And this is where we need YOUR help...

After two years of treatments, missed time from work, traveling to and from surgeries, and other "normal life" costs, the Gammon family has just managed to stay above water with their regular bills, but are left with thousands of dollars of medical debt (yes, even after insurance).  What we need to do is help provide them with the financial ability to not only take care of those debts, but MOST IMPORTANTLY enable them to quickly make some amazing memories with their beautiful family.

Please, donate!  ANY amount will bless their family tremendously.  And if you are unable to donate at this time, PLEASE consider sharing this fundraiser with your friends, family, social media accounts, and anyone else who might be able to help spread the word!  

THANK YOU for helping to support this amazing family!