Support Caleb Seidl's Fight Against Leukemia

On July 26th, our family's world was turned upside down. We went to the pediatrician after Caleb had several days of unusual symptoms that weren't going away. He had been more tired, less active, and he was getting fevers prior to sleeping. Both Liz and I grew increasingly concerned and we wanted to rule out anything serious, but were hopeful it was just a case of Caleb being a toddler. Unfortunately, after getting bloodwork, the pediatrician called that evening and we were instructed to go to the Emergency Department. We were told they would be expecting us and that the Pediatric Oncology team was getting involved. We were admitted to the hospital that night. Fast forward four days, lots of blood work, a bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture, our fears and concerns became real; Caleb was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In some ways the diagnosis was a relief because now there was a reason for Caleb not being his normal happy self and we could start treatment, but it also led to many unknown variables about his (and our) future.

We are now two weeks into the initial treatment. Caleb has been so strong and resilient the whole time. He laughs and engages with his care team, takes medicine better than most adults, and always seems to be the brightest part of the day, especially when we need him to be the most. He is just beginning the long road towards a cure, and Liz and I are finding so much strength from him.

But Caleb's journey is far from over, and the road ahead is long and unpredictable. Being a toddler, he is going to require extensive amounts of care over the next 2.5-3 years. He will have frequent lumbar punctures, blood draws, chemo treatments, and infusions. He will need OT and PT services. There will be times that Caleb will have to be readmitted to the hospital for cancer treatments or anytime he gets an infection or illness. He has an extremely weak immune system so cannot go to daycare or play with many of his friends. His care needs mean that Liz and I have had to step back from our jobs and are quickly exhausting any paid leave available to us. So far, we have been fortunate that all care can be done in our home state, but there is a chance that we may need to relocate to a different state if his treatment becomes more intensive.

We are incredibly grateful to his care team and for all the kindness, love, and support already given by friends, family, and the random nice people that buy us coffee when they see us in the cafeteria. But the unknown future has been a cloud of added stress. All money raised from this will go directly to help support Caleb's care and to try and give him the best childhood we can given the battle that he is fighting. Any extra funds will be donated to the Child Life department at Providence Hospital, who has helped keep some childhood magic in our lives during our hospital stay. Thank you for any assistance you can provide us during this challenging time.