Help Zubin Fraser Dirks Fight Cancer

Hello friends and community,

 

As some of you may know, our dear friends Sandhya Dirks and Cameron Fraser welcomed their beautiful baby Zubin last year. Zubin is a very silly and curious little fellow who loves to dance, laugh, and take in everything around him -- all at once. He is big into snuggles, the ocean, giggle fits and watching the sunlight dances through the leaves. Zubin is also a tremendous warrior (takes after his parents afterall), but unfortunately he’s had to hone his fighting skills a little too soon.

 

Last fall, Zubin was diagnosed with a very rare cancer -- pediatric oncologists have a saying-- that they deal with the rare and unusual. But the cancer Zubin has -- congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma -- is rare even to them. The best way to fight rhabdo is an aggressive treatment plan that includes intensive radiation and chemotherapy over the course of almost a year. 

 

Fighting cancer isn’t just emotionally and physically exhausting -- it’s also expensive (even with really good insurance!). There’s the costs of relocating down to San Diego, for a time paying two rents, there’s the special and expensive suits Zubin needs to prevent him from pulling on the central line that is connected to the wall of his heart, there’s the life saving medicine he needs to help prevent infections, that even with insurance costs 250 - 500 dollars a shot. There’s unexpected costs at every turn -- everything is just extra, and the family is feeling the strain on their dwindling savings.

And that’s where you come in. We’re asking you to become part of Zubin’s extended care team and help raise around $40,000, so Sandhya, Cameron, and Zubin can focus on surviving cancer without worrying about the bills. Please donate whatever you can. If you can’t donate money (we know things are tough right now) love and prayers are also needed and deeply appreciated. Thank you so much for your help and support.  

Here’s a little message from Sandhya, Cameron, and Zubin:

 

 

 

When you ask nurses and doctors who work in pediatric cancer if their job is depressing, or sad, or too much -- they’ll tell you they love the work, and that it’s not depressing -- because babies and children are resilient, and so many survive. Cancer is an odds game, and we’ve got tough -- but not impossible odds. And we’ve got the most phenomenally joyful, powerful little creature in baby Z whose life force is truly a force, a will to joy and to love. The name Zubin means “sword that pierces the sky” -- he was armed with the name of a warrior poet from the start.

 

When we lose hope, or patience, or the ability to think past the trauma -- he is there smiling, laughing, ready to cuddle and laugh us back into the present. We also know that without our village -- without our families -- blood and beyond -- we would not be able to do this.

 

There’s nothing you can say in this situation that doesn’t border on cliche. But we are just so thankful, to everyone. We are so hopeful, to see our little Z grow up, and pierce the sky -- and the world -- wide open.