Blake's Journey #2
Donation protected
Meet Blake,
Blake is an amazing 9 year old boy with a love for hockey, dirt bikes, cars and anything fast. He enjoys playing with his friends, enjoying time with his family, hanging with his bestfriend Bubby, riding his dirt bike, fishing and having ice cream at Mamas. Blake has an amazing older sister named Haileigh who adores her baby brother and cares for him with so much love.
Blake has spent half his life fighting Childhood Cancer. In September of 2014 Blake was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He underwent intensive chemo, multiple blood and platelet transfusions, 20 lumbar punctures, 5 port-a-cath surgeries, 5 bone marrow aspirates, 730 needles a year and hundreds of pills.
He spent 9 months in hospital, and spent one year away from home, 8 hours away. This meant his sister Haileigh, had to be left behind while Blake and Mommy lived in another city for treatment.
He under went three and a half years of treatment. Two years travelling from home to Ottawa to children’s hospital of eastern Ontario for treatment and check ups.
Which means he also lost three and a half years of his childhood!
In January of 2018, Blake was declared “cancer free”. But a few short weeks later, and a week after his 9th birthday in February of 2018, Blake was diagnosed a second time with cancer. This time diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukaemia. Blake underwent surgery immediately to have a broviac put in. He did one month of intense chemo, followed by a lumbar puncture. He received more blood and platelet transfusions. He underwent another month of intensive chemo, followed by another lumbar puncture. We knew Blake would need a bone marrow transplant, and unfortunately Mom wasn’t a match, and sister Haileigh was only an 8 out of 10. He then had to move to Toronto Sickkids to undergo more chemo and his bone marrow transplant.
On June 1st 2018, Blake received his bone marrow transplant, thanks to an anonymous donor. We are thankful that Blake responded well and has now been engrafted!
We only wish we could say our fears ended here. A few weeks later July 22nd Blake was admitted to Sickkids again. This time Blake is dealing with GVHD as well as inflammation in his lungs. He’s hasn’t been able to breath without help from an oxygen mask. His next step is to be intubated and spend sometime in the ICU.
It looks like Blake’s road to recovery is still going to be a long one. His sister still needs to remain back home in the care of her Auntie, and with his Mom by his side she has been unable to work since he was diagnosed in 2014.
The family has been through so much already, and poor Blake has faught half his life to still be here with us. Haileigh misses her Mom and brother so much. This has affected her dramatically, and their entire family.
We’ve set a GoFundMe up in order to help this family. Money raised goes towards Ronald McDonald housing costs, medications that are not covered, food costs and travel expenses. Blake’s Mom still has their house and other bills back at home and the financial burden has been such a struggle. Her worries should be about getting Blake healthy, so they can all be together as a family again.
If you can, please donate. Please help us share to help this family!
We cannot thank our continuous supporters enough for all their support over the last three and a half years! We cannot wait until Blake is healthy and back on the ice again doing what he loves!
-Team Blake!
Blake is an amazing 9 year old boy with a love for hockey, dirt bikes, cars and anything fast. He enjoys playing with his friends, enjoying time with his family, hanging with his bestfriend Bubby, riding his dirt bike, fishing and having ice cream at Mamas. Blake has an amazing older sister named Haileigh who adores her baby brother and cares for him with so much love.
Blake has spent half his life fighting Childhood Cancer. In September of 2014 Blake was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He underwent intensive chemo, multiple blood and platelet transfusions, 20 lumbar punctures, 5 port-a-cath surgeries, 5 bone marrow aspirates, 730 needles a year and hundreds of pills.
He spent 9 months in hospital, and spent one year away from home, 8 hours away. This meant his sister Haileigh, had to be left behind while Blake and Mommy lived in another city for treatment.
He under went three and a half years of treatment. Two years travelling from home to Ottawa to children’s hospital of eastern Ontario for treatment and check ups.
Which means he also lost three and a half years of his childhood!
In January of 2018, Blake was declared “cancer free”. But a few short weeks later, and a week after his 9th birthday in February of 2018, Blake was diagnosed a second time with cancer. This time diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukaemia. Blake underwent surgery immediately to have a broviac put in. He did one month of intense chemo, followed by a lumbar puncture. He received more blood and platelet transfusions. He underwent another month of intensive chemo, followed by another lumbar puncture. We knew Blake would need a bone marrow transplant, and unfortunately Mom wasn’t a match, and sister Haileigh was only an 8 out of 10. He then had to move to Toronto Sickkids to undergo more chemo and his bone marrow transplant.
On June 1st 2018, Blake received his bone marrow transplant, thanks to an anonymous donor. We are thankful that Blake responded well and has now been engrafted!
We only wish we could say our fears ended here. A few weeks later July 22nd Blake was admitted to Sickkids again. This time Blake is dealing with GVHD as well as inflammation in his lungs. He’s hasn’t been able to breath without help from an oxygen mask. His next step is to be intubated and spend sometime in the ICU.
It looks like Blake’s road to recovery is still going to be a long one. His sister still needs to remain back home in the care of her Auntie, and with his Mom by his side she has been unable to work since he was diagnosed in 2014.
The family has been through so much already, and poor Blake has faught half his life to still be here with us. Haileigh misses her Mom and brother so much. This has affected her dramatically, and their entire family.
We’ve set a GoFundMe up in order to help this family. Money raised goes towards Ronald McDonald housing costs, medications that are not covered, food costs and travel expenses. Blake’s Mom still has their house and other bills back at home and the financial burden has been such a struggle. Her worries should be about getting Blake healthy, so they can all be together as a family again.
If you can, please donate. Please help us share to help this family!
We cannot thank our continuous supporters enough for all their support over the last three and a half years! We cannot wait until Blake is healthy and back on the ice again doing what he loves!
-Team Blake!
Organiser
Team Blake
Organiser
Sudbury, ON