Help The Himes Family Navigate Leukemia

Hi, My name is Megan Christison and I am organizing this fundraiser for Jason and Allison Himes, my brother and sister-in-law. Baby James Himes is their son. James has two big sisters and a massive extended family who loves him so much. We are fundraising to support their family through this nightmare and help with medical bills and mounting expenses. 

If you feel more comfortable or if it is more convenient, donations can also be made through Venmo @JHimes760 

 

From Jason and Allie:

 

On Wednesday we brought James to the doctor to discuss some behavioral changes. They discovered that he was extremely anemic and rushed him to the ER. This was the beginning of our worst nightmare.

 

They did some blood tests and decided to admit him for more testing. By morning we had a positive diagnosis for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

 

They immediately started several blood and platelet transfusions over the next 24 hours to prepare him for surgery to install a Hickman port for chemotherapy, along with a biopsy and taking of a bone marrow sample.

 

We discussed some options for treatment, but there are some potential complications as He is a potential carrier of Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT), which is a form of muscular dystrophy that is in the family. CMT does not mix well with some chemo drugs and causes potential danger. This disqualified him from any clinical trials.

 

We also are awaiting results to determine if he will need a bone marrow transplant, and also still need results to determine if the cancer cells have invaded his spinal fluid. Both of these will require modified treatments.

 

Surgery went well and They started chemo on Friday as we could not wait any longer for test results. So far we are already seeing some results from treatment but it will be a long hard road ahead.

 

They expect at best that treatment will last at least 6 months. For most of this he will need to stay in the hospital due to his age. Also, the aggressive dosage of chemo that will be needed requires him to be monitored.

 

If he needs a bone marrow transplant then treatment could be even longer and more risky.

 

Obviously this has been a huge shock and we are scrambling as a family to do whatever it takes to get our son better, along with making sure our two girls are happy and healthy and taken care of.

 

We are so thankful for the amazing help and offers for help we've received so far. At this time we are hoping for as many prayers, well wishes, good vibes, and thoughts as possible.

 

#JamieBeatAML