Teenager's Fight Against ALL

Hi, my name is Sarah Justen and I am fundraising for Melissa Amonette. Melissa and I have grown to know each other through our kindred spirit children. Gabe and Violet were in class together while Simon and Lilah were in class together at MVCDS. I have grown to love this family over the years and Simon being Lilah's bestie, his recent diagnosis with Pre-B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) has made the impact even greater.

The treatment for this type of cancer is between 2-3 years. The purpose of this GoFundMe is to allow all who love this family, have been blessed by this family, and would be blessed to know this family, to rally together to support them during their time of need.

Melissa defines a person of service, working tirelessly in the ER as a partner in her small practice to ensure the health and well being of the patients who arrive at the four hospitals she serves. She is also a member of the Jerusalem Township Fire/EMS and acts as Medical Director for several other squads. All the while, she is the mother of four children who are deeply rooted in Scouts and 4H.

This is an INSTANT LIFE CHANGING moment and this family needs your help!

To give you an idea of what the near future holds for Melissa, Grace, Simon, Mallory, Gabe, and Grandma Jill, here are Melissa's words regarding Simon's diagnosis and treatment plan.

"Simon has Pre-B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). He is higher risk because of age over ten. But lower risk because he is considered CNS1 or no cancer cells in the spinal canal and brain.

We are currently awaiting genetic testing. There are a few genetic changes on certain chromosomes that make children high risk. We are hoping he does not have these chromosome changes.

He gets medicine by mouth, IV chemo, a shot of chemo and chemo into his spinal canal. He will take daily pills for a long time. He will have IV chemo every Monday at Cleveland Clinic for the next 4-5 months. A shot of chemo once a week and chemo into his spinal canal a minimum of 3 more times over the next couple of months.

Each session will likely be harder and could cause all the side effects we've all heard about. Trouble eating, heart problems, liver problems, skin sores and mouth sores. He had to have his braces removed for now and he will lose his hair. He plans to do school from home but won't be able to go to school for awhile."

Treatments have begun and Simon's healing journey is well under way. PLEASE do what you can to ensure Melissa can stay by his side during treatment. Insurance doesn’t cover everything! We want to be sure that she doesn’t need to work extra shifts or worry about the costs of gas or food while they are traveling back and forth to Cleveland frequently. No amount is too small (or too big) and ALL donations are greatly appreciated! Let's get them through this with as little financial worry as possible!!