Support Violet Hope's fight against cancer

On May 24, 2021, one of our worst fears as parents became our new reality. Our 2-year-old daughter, Violet Hope, was diagnosed with Accute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). 

There are moments in life where time almost stands still. Noise becomes muted yet amplified. Your vision is blurred yet vivid. You know your heart is racing but the beat is slow and loud in your ears. In these moments, you know life will never be the same.

My first experience with this was looking over after a caesarean delivery and seeing our first baby girl in the bassinet next to me. This perfect little human that came from my body only minutes prior. So alive, so strong, so beautiful, and so small. On May 24 we had another one of those moments. This time a team of doctors was not delivering our miracle, but the news that the same tiny, perfect, human has cancer.

Violet has finished her first week of a 2-year-long treatment plan.

What we know today: 
- B-cell ALL is generally a very treatable disease
- While only 2-years-old, Violet is so brave, strong, resilient and will fight this disease and WIN 
- We are blessed to have an abundance of love and support from family, friends, colleagues and networks of their loved ones that may not even know us personally 
- We have our faith in God and are leaning into his light, love and grace 

What we know about the months ahead:
In times like these, you’re aware there will be financial burden, but you know that you will move mountains to get your child the care they need. Finances are not something we are focusing on yet, but here is what we know about the months ahead. 

We have been so fortunate. Graham’s residency program in Utah has extended our insurance through July so we will not have a lapse in medical support between residency and fellowship. 

We know we will be paying an out-of-pocket deductible with our current insurance for hospital stays, outpatient care, home-care and medications. Then in July, when we switch care to Seattle and change insurance, we will be paying another yearly out-of-pocket deductible for the same care. Most of you know that our family is relocating to Seattle where Graham will complete his year-long fellowship as his last step of medical training before starting his career. There is no such thing as a good time for your child to be sick, but we recognize this transition is going to be another challenge along this road. 

We know we will now need a larger house in Seattle to accommodate our family as well as a stream of grandparents, relatives, and friends that will help us while Graham completes a time-intensive fellowship, and we navigate hospital stays and care. We know we will need this house and the ventilation system deep cleaned before arrival. We will also need to hire moving assistance instead of moving ourselves because our time and focus has drastically changed. 

We know we will need additional childcare because Violet’s 8-month-old little sister, Savannah, will not be allowed at subsequent hospital stays or weekly clinic visits. 

Life in general has dramatically changed. We know we will have additional expenses that we are unaware of at this time. We also know that we will find a way to make it work, no matter what.

We are ready for this fight and humbled daily by the emotional, spiritual, physical, and financial support from so many people near and far. Please know that your prayers, thoughts and love - above all else - are lifting us up. The other pieces will fall into place, but we feel your support and know that our family is so much stronger with this army behind us. We love you and we appreciate you more than you'll ever know. 

With so much love and gratitude, 
Bri, Graham, Violet & Savannah