Ben Strikes Back (against Neuroblastoma)
Donation protected
This young family has been thru a whirlwind the past 3.5 weeks as their seemingly healthy 6 yr old boy Ben, and his family entered down a path every parent hopes and prays they will never be on.
On Monday, April 8th, 2019, 24 days before his 6th birthday, Ben went to see his family practice doctor for his annual well child check. During the routine exam, his doctor thought his spleen felt enlarged and ordered an ultrasound to make sure everything looked okay.
On Thursday, April 11th, 2019 Ben had an ultrasound, followed by a CT scan. What his doctor thought was an enlarged spleen turned out to be a baseball size tumor attached to his adrenal gland. Radiology readings noted the scan of the tumor was consistent with Neuroblastoma. Surgery to remove the Adrenal gland + tumor was scheduled for Monday, April 15th in Fargo, ND. After long discussions, Shelby and Mike chose to have a consultation at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis as they had dedicated specialists in this area.
On Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 Mike and Shelby had a series of appointments to review options at Children's Hospital- Minneapolis, and a care team was established for Ben. They mutually agreed the next step was to order a urine test to check for indications that Neuroblastoma was present in his body.
On April 18th, 2019 the urine analysis came back with elevated markers which are traditionally found in Neuroblastoma patients.
On April, 24th, 2019 Ben was sedated for a MIBG scan along with a bone marrow aspiration. The results from these tests gave the doctors additional details needed to diagnose Ben.
On April 26th, 2019 miraculously, Ben's MIBG scans came back clear for any additional clusters of neuroblastoma cells and bone marrow detected no cancer cells in his marrow! This was the best news this young family could have prayed for. It means the cancer cells appear to be contained to the existing tumor on his adrenal gland. This news was prayed for by many and is very rare given his age at diagnosis and size of the existing tumor.
On May 1st, 2019 (Ben's 6th Birthday) Ben had surgery at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis where his surgeon was successful in removing 100% of the tumor along with the attached left adrenal gland. The tumor was sent for biopsy to review the cellular make-up of the tumor, which will determine official stage + risk level diagnosis as well as the best treatment plan for Ben.
Many have reached out the past three weeks to ask how they can help this young family beyond daily thoughts and prayers. With their permission, we have established this GoFundMe site. The funds donated here will help to support medical bills related to Ben's treatment, unpaid time off Shelby will be required to take from work to care for Ben, as well as unplanned expenses as they go through this unexpected journey.
Any funds received through this site go directly into an account in Ben's name which only Mike and Shelby have access to. They have indicated the funds will be used only for the purposes identified above.
If you wish to donate directly to this fund via check please make it out to: Ben Hougen Fund
Mailing Address:
First National Bank
Attn: Ben Hougen Fund
PO Box 670
Bemidji, MN 56619
Please continue to lift them up in prayers as they embark as a family on this journey.
You can follow their journey through the Caring Bridge site they have started which is located here: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/benhougen
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Ben's Fundraising Stormtroopers
On Monday, April 8th, 2019, 24 days before his 6th birthday, Ben went to see his family practice doctor for his annual well child check. During the routine exam, his doctor thought his spleen felt enlarged and ordered an ultrasound to make sure everything looked okay.
On Thursday, April 11th, 2019 Ben had an ultrasound, followed by a CT scan. What his doctor thought was an enlarged spleen turned out to be a baseball size tumor attached to his adrenal gland. Radiology readings noted the scan of the tumor was consistent with Neuroblastoma. Surgery to remove the Adrenal gland + tumor was scheduled for Monday, April 15th in Fargo, ND. After long discussions, Shelby and Mike chose to have a consultation at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis as they had dedicated specialists in this area.
On Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 Mike and Shelby had a series of appointments to review options at Children's Hospital- Minneapolis, and a care team was established for Ben. They mutually agreed the next step was to order a urine test to check for indications that Neuroblastoma was present in his body.
On April 18th, 2019 the urine analysis came back with elevated markers which are traditionally found in Neuroblastoma patients.
On April, 24th, 2019 Ben was sedated for a MIBG scan along with a bone marrow aspiration. The results from these tests gave the doctors additional details needed to diagnose Ben.
On April 26th, 2019 miraculously, Ben's MIBG scans came back clear for any additional clusters of neuroblastoma cells and bone marrow detected no cancer cells in his marrow! This was the best news this young family could have prayed for. It means the cancer cells appear to be contained to the existing tumor on his adrenal gland. This news was prayed for by many and is very rare given his age at diagnosis and size of the existing tumor.
On May 1st, 2019 (Ben's 6th Birthday) Ben had surgery at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis where his surgeon was successful in removing 100% of the tumor along with the attached left adrenal gland. The tumor was sent for biopsy to review the cellular make-up of the tumor, which will determine official stage + risk level diagnosis as well as the best treatment plan for Ben.
Many have reached out the past three weeks to ask how they can help this young family beyond daily thoughts and prayers. With their permission, we have established this GoFundMe site. The funds donated here will help to support medical bills related to Ben's treatment, unpaid time off Shelby will be required to take from work to care for Ben, as well as unplanned expenses as they go through this unexpected journey.
Any funds received through this site go directly into an account in Ben's name which only Mike and Shelby have access to. They have indicated the funds will be used only for the purposes identified above.
If you wish to donate directly to this fund via check please make it out to: Ben Hougen Fund
Mailing Address:
First National Bank
Attn: Ben Hougen Fund
PO Box 670
Bemidji, MN 56619
Please continue to lift them up in prayers as they embark as a family on this journey.
You can follow their journey through the Caring Bridge site they have started which is located here: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/benhougen
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Ben's Fundraising Stormtroopers
Fundraising team: Ben’s Fundraising Stormtroopers (4)
Megan Dahlen
Organizer
Bemidji, MN
Mike and Shelby Hougen
Beneficiary
Claire Sonnenburg
Team member
Madeline Maloley
Team member
Rebecca Walker
Team member