Help Baby Lucy Battle Neuroblastoma

Calling on our Juneau family and loved ones across the country.  As many of you know, Lucy, Amber & Steve’s first baby, was diagnosed with a huge tumor in her abdomen last week.  Amber and Steve flew to Seattle Children’s hospital earlier this week within a few days of her primary care doctor noticing a concerning mass in her abdomen. Lucy was referred to Seattle Children’s Hospital for a suspicious tumor.  Once she underwent an evaluation at Seattle Children’s, Lucy was scheduled for emergent surgery and had a softball-sized tumor removed from her tiny abdomen.  Luckily, the Seattle Children’s team has diagnosed her with a “benign” neuroblastoma tumor, which means that it is not deadly if it does not interfere with her other organs.  Unfortunately, this does not alleviate her need for medical care, surgeries, follow-up medical care, and other associated costs.  Lucy is experiencing complications with her post-operative recovery and we are still waiting for more scans next week to know if she has any other growths in the rest of her body that may require more surgeries.  As many of you may be aware, Amber is a medical assistant at Valley Medical Care and Jordan Creek Family Health Care in Juneau, Alaska.  She always has her patient’s best interests in mind and has an amazing knack for communicating with people with complex needs, and is a dedicated patient advocate, in addition to her superhero mom skills.  Steve, Lucy’s dad, has lived in Juneau, Alaska for over 11 years and calls our little town home.  He is often the electrician behind the scenes making our health care facilities and homes more comfortable and tolerable to function in.  I have experienced his hard work at many of the offices that employ me and respect his work and dedication.  Lucy is only 9 months old and those who have had the pleasure of meeting little Lucy knows she is a perfect Angel and a blessing to all of those around her.    Despite the optimal long term prognosis, Lucy’s health is dependent on her parent’s ability to provide for her financially and more importantly, remain by her side.  We are incredibly optimistic about Lucy’s long term outcome, but for those living in Alaska we recognize that Alaskan’s are not privileged with access to pediatric specialists for a condition such as Lucy’s.  The travel and medical expenses to keep this sweet baby girl healthy and allow her parents to remain next to her are outrageous.  Lucy’s mom, Amber, is still breastfeeding and Lucy’s recovery will be optimal with her parent’s by her side.  We all know how important it is to have such a young baby next to her parents with her during this type of situation; this can mean the difference between life and death.   We understand that your love and support does not equal dollars and cents, but if you have any financial means to help Amber, Steve, and baby Lucy we appreciate your support.  Please feel free to message me personally if there are any other ways that you would like to contribute as we are open to any help possible.   We appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and any financial assistance you have to offer.  Thank you for your love from the Dyer-Kelly family.