Savannah Be Strong

Hi my name is Sarah and I want to introduce you to 18 month old Savannah Johnson.  She is sweet, happy, funny, and as her aunt puts it, “she sparkles!”She is my good friend Kathryn’s niece.  I learned on Monday, January 11 that Savannah was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital.  Savannah’s head started leaning to the left, her balance was off, she was unhappy, and she was periodically vomiting.  A CT scan revealed a tumor.  An MRI showed cancer. It is inoperable.  We are devastated. 

Savannah's cancer is an extremely rare and aggressive cancer called Embryonal Tumor with Multilayer Rosettes or ETMR.  There are less than 300 reported cases of this pediatric cancer.  It strikes young children, most commonly under four years old.  She will undergo chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants where she will act as her own donor.  The goal is to attempt to shrink the tumor and then remove it.  The tumor is wrapped around her brain stem, which makes radiation or removal at this point impossible.    

Savannah’s dad lost his job due to covid in March.  He is picking up extra work where he can.  He is looking for a full time job. He has worked in oil logistics/recruiting.  Any leads would be amazing. We can provide a resume if needed.  Her mom is working part time to keep the family's health insurance.  One parent needs to stay with Savannah at all times, but remote work for Savannah's dad would be amazing. 

Savannah has twin brothers cheering her on from heaven. They would be six years old this year. She has a five year old brother and a three year old sister helping her at home.  We would love to support all of them in this journey and bring them some peace of mind. 

Our Goal

We would like to gather funds to help with medical expenses. Their family is completely overwhelmed and needs to focus on Savannah.  When Savannah reaches point of tumor removal, the surgical teams looking at her case are in San Diego, CA or Seattle, WA.  This portion of the treatment is not covered by insurance and will require out of pocket funding.  

We would love any help we can get!

We would love any donations we can get to help them out!  If it’s $5 or $500, every little bit helps.  If you could help spread the word by posting/sharing social media-anything to help would be so appreciated!!  Let’s get Savannah the help she needs and beat this cancer!  #savannahbestrong