Cruz helping Angelina
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This year for Cruz’s birthday he wanted to raise money for a cause. He was going to try to help the homeless but then we got the terrible news that Angelina had relapsed and he decided on the spot to raise money for her and her family. We have followed them for years and if anybody is worthy of help, just for being amazing humans, it’s them. Danielle reaches out to me when my mom died and helped me in such a real, genuine way and we so want to help her and this sweet family. Please read her story below and please consider donating instead of getting Cruz a gift. It means a lot to us. 
In May of 2013, at just 3.5 years old, my daughter, Angelina was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer. Naturally, her father and I were devastated - nothing prepares you to hear that kind of news.

Despite having the odds stacked against her, Angelina achieved a brief remission in the spring of 2015. However, only 8 weeks after being in remission, Angelina was diagnosed with a relapse back to Stage IV. The prospect of squaring off again with cancer was daunting, but our Angelina took it in stride.
Through the remainder of 2015, and all of 2016 Angelina went through chemo and immunotherapy treatments to eliminate her relapse. And in the fall of 2016, she began a new experimental cancer vaccine trial at Memorial Sloan-Kettering hospital in NYC.
In July of 2017, Angelina relapsed again. She has resumed treatment at Memorial Sloan. After a year of treatment, Angelina had returned to the vaccine trial.
During that time, Angelina's father, Sandy was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gerhig's disease. It is a terminal motor neuron disease that robs patients of their ability to move and ultimately breathe and eat.
Still reeling from Sandy's diagnosis, in October 2018, the team saw a new growth on her MIGB scan. They repeated the scan again and then did a PET scan. In November 2018, they confirmed that Angelina had relapsed and on December 5, 2018 she will be having surgery to remove the tumor that is on her vertebrae near her kidney and aorta.
This puts a huge stress on our family, as I am now the sole provider and caregiver for our children, attempting to juggle work, Angelina's treatment and Angelina's brother, Aidan.
January 2019:
It's with a very heavy, angry, tired, and full of curse words heart, that I am posting Angelina's scan results.
Her latest round of scans reveal several new spots IN her bones, which are not obviously not operable. What treatment looks like going forward is unclear- with Angelina's father requiring care for ALS, and me working, they were trying to figure out an option that would work given the situation, that wouldn't keep her inpatient. I told them- "pick the one you think will be most successful, and I will make it work."
Everyone says they don't know how I do it- jokingly my answer is Xanax. But I'm gonna tell you the truth- I don't know. I don't know. I'm tired and I'm pissed off. No one deserves this- and if you've met or followed Angelina, then you know even if there was a type of person who deserved this (and trust me, there isn't) it would certainly never be Angelina.
Like, seriously. We've done this for almost 6 years. Angelina's father is dying of an awful disease that robs you of your ability to move, to speak and to breath while cruelly leaving your mental capabilities alone, so you're totally aware as it happens.
And I know it sounds stupid, but Sandy and I both thought, apparently very stupidly, that this was some kinda trade. You take him, and leave our kid the f@&# alone.
And I got it- that's not how this works. But it should be. I'm sorry I'm ranting. Just sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Back to being calm and level-headed.
What do we need?
In all seriousness, We need to do some serious fundraising, we need put together a network on people to help with her brother and somebody get Ellen DeGeneres on the phone! Thank you for you thoughts, your prayers and your generosity.
gofundme.com/angelinasarmyrecovery
Angelina has also voiced that she would like to go to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando. If you know anyone with connections to discount tickets, and a cheap hotel, I wanna drive her down between her first and second treatment, so she has something to look forward to.
In May of 2013, at just 3.5 years old, my daughter, Angelina was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer. Naturally, her father and I were devastated - nothing prepares you to hear that kind of news.

Despite having the odds stacked against her, Angelina achieved a brief remission in the spring of 2015. However, only 8 weeks after being in remission, Angelina was diagnosed with a relapse back to Stage IV. The prospect of squaring off again with cancer was daunting, but our Angelina took it in stride.
Through the remainder of 2015, and all of 2016 Angelina went through chemo and immunotherapy treatments to eliminate her relapse. And in the fall of 2016, she began a new experimental cancer vaccine trial at Memorial Sloan-Kettering hospital in NYC.

In July of 2017, Angelina relapsed again. She has resumed treatment at Memorial Sloan. After a year of treatment, Angelina had returned to the vaccine trial.
During that time, Angelina's father, Sandy was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gerhig's disease. It is a terminal motor neuron disease that robs patients of their ability to move and ultimately breathe and eat.
Still reeling from Sandy's diagnosis, in October 2018, the team saw a new growth on her MIGB scan. They repeated the scan again and then did a PET scan. In November 2018, they confirmed that Angelina had relapsed and on December 5, 2018 she will be having surgery to remove the tumor that is on her vertebrae near her kidney and aorta.
This puts a huge stress on our family, as I am now the sole provider and caregiver for our children, attempting to juggle work, Angelina's treatment and Angelina's brother, Aidan.
January 2019:
It's with a very heavy, angry, tired, and full of curse words heart, that I am posting Angelina's scan results.
Her latest round of scans reveal several new spots IN her bones, which are not obviously not operable. What treatment looks like going forward is unclear- with Angelina's father requiring care for ALS, and me working, they were trying to figure out an option that would work given the situation, that wouldn't keep her inpatient. I told them- "pick the one you think will be most successful, and I will make it work."
Everyone says they don't know how I do it- jokingly my answer is Xanax. But I'm gonna tell you the truth- I don't know. I don't know. I'm tired and I'm pissed off. No one deserves this- and if you've met or followed Angelina, then you know even if there was a type of person who deserved this (and trust me, there isn't) it would certainly never be Angelina.
Like, seriously. We've done this for almost 6 years. Angelina's father is dying of an awful disease that robs you of your ability to move, to speak and to breath while cruelly leaving your mental capabilities alone, so you're totally aware as it happens.
And I know it sounds stupid, but Sandy and I both thought, apparently very stupidly, that this was some kinda trade. You take him, and leave our kid the f@&# alone.
And I got it- that's not how this works. But it should be. I'm sorry I'm ranting. Just sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Back to being calm and level-headed.
What do we need?
In all seriousness, We need to do some serious fundraising, we need put together a network on people to help with her brother and somebody get Ellen DeGeneres on the phone! Thank you for you thoughts, your prayers and your generosity.
gofundme.com/angelinasarmyrecovery
Angelina has also voiced that she would like to go to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando. If you know anyone with connections to discount tickets, and a cheap hotel, I wanna drive her down between her first and second treatment, so she has something to look forward to.
Organizer
Shawnee Prether
Organizer
Yellow Springs, OH