Gavin’s battle against Sarcoma

CANCER SUCKS!!

I am reaching out to all of you in hopes that you will help myself and my family on a journey that none of us imagined. My brother, Gavin is an 11 year old, funny, smart, kind, and giving young boy who has been the best brother to all of his sisters. A few weeks ago, we learned that Gavin is now fighting a battle that no kid should have to fight - the fight against cancer.

Gavin’s symptoms first started with off and on chest pain. He went to see a doctor for what was thought to be a simple pulled muscle, but after getting X-rays, our family was told to rush to the hospital where more tests were taken and a heart breaking diagnosis was confirmed…. Ewig Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that affects 10 out of one million Americans ages 10-19 a year.

Chemotherapy was started immediately under the amazing care of the doctors and nurses at Mary Bridge Hospital. They found traces of sarcoma in his lymph nodes that require radiation and continuing chemotherapy treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital which at a minimum is a 45 minute drive away from our home in decent traffic. There, Gavin will stay for 6 weeks, and as you can imagine, our parents, Scott and Kristen don’t want to leave Gavin’s side, but they still have to be there for Teagan and Gabby, their other two daughters.

With the permission of my parents, I have started this GoFundMe to ask for your help in easing a little of then financial burden on the VanPevenage family. With such a challenging road ahead and younger children still to care for, money is the last thing that my parents need to be worried about at this time. Cancer stops a lot of things, but it doesn’t stop monthly finances. Your kind donation of any amount, will go toward covering the cost of everyday basic needs (such as the cost of food, travel/gas, and accommodations while in Seattle) for the next 6-9 months of treatment ahead. Your help will also help my parents keep up with their mortgage payments and other household bills so that Gavin has a home to come to when his treatment ends. With financial help, my parents will be able to fully concentrate on supporting Gavin in this unfair fight against cancer.

I want to thank each and everyone of you for taking to the time to read our story and for any form of support that you can give. If you are unable to donate at this time, know that your kind words, thoughts, or even cards and letters for Gavin to read while he is hospitalized are still very much appreciated. If you have any ideas for alternative ways that we can support Gavin and my parents, please don’t hesitate to share them with me. We appreciate anything that anyone can contribute during this time. Please don’t forget to share this GoFundMe with others. Thank you so much for your generosity - Let’s get Gavin back to good health!!

(Kristen and Scott would like to thank everyone for their love and support, this is still new to them so please refrain from excessive questions as they navigate through this)