Urgent Appeal: 16 y.o. Boy Battling Rare Cancer

Hello, I’m April and I’m starting this fundraiser to help my sister Panda and her 16 -year-old son Gavin. Gavin was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. My sister Panda is a loving single-mother and a dedicated nurse practitioner who is currently overwhelmed with challenges, both financial and emotional.

Due to the rarity of Gavin’s cancer, he has to attend a specialist treatment center at Vanderbilt University Children’s Hospital in Nashville. This means they must travel over three hours each way for his weekly chemotherapy treatments. As the treatments begin in early morning and often last more than 8 hours, it means overnight stays.

My sister Panda is used to being self-reliant; however, this situation is proving impossible to navigate alone. It will be difficult for Panda to return to work during Gavin’s treatment due to the round-the-clock monitoring and care he requires, the days traveling to treatment, and increased risk of exposure to a dangerous infection.

Panda has exhausted her paid leave, savings, and home equity. Gavin’s treatment, which has already included two surgeries and four months of chemotherapy, is expected to last at least a year. The combined costs of treatment, travel, and lost wages are pushing the family to the brink of financial ruin.

My nephew Gavin is the sweetest and most considerate teenager I know. He is gentle, soft-spoken and protective of those he loves. He turned 16 without a party due to the effects of chemo. He is going to spend his Junior year in homeschool; missing all the activities and rites of passage he was looking forward to. With all he is going through, he still worries about his mom’s struggles-though she tries to shield him.

It probably goes without saying that Panda is living through every parent’s worst nightmare, which is compounded by the financial strain. Personally, I can’t adequately express the heartbreak of seeing this beautiful family go through such trauma.

Through this GoFundMe request I am hoping to ease the burden on Panda and Gavin during this extremely difficult period. Any contribution, however small, will be greatly appreciated. It is my hope that when Gavin and Panda emerge at the end of treatment, they are able to enjoy a full recovery and restart their lives without overwhelming financial strain.

Please share this campaign with your community and contribute what you can to support them. Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read this and for any support you are able to offer.

You can learn more about Rhabdomyosarcoma at https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/rhabdomyosarcoma-childhood/statistics