Beautiful Boy William
Donation protected
This is William. He currently lives in Las Vegas, NV and has been diagnosed with a very rare cancer called Telangectatic Ostesarcoma. He is such a beautiful soul and continues to remain a happy bundle of joy. He is so young and already has endured a lifetime of struggle few of us can even comprehend. Please send your love to him and his family. We don't realize how much we must endure during times like these, but it is intense...
This has been Williams journey so far...
William was born in Seoul, S. Korea in 2011 and was given up by his mother for adoption because she was unwed. William lived in foster care as an orphan in South Korea until 2013. William was meant to be adopted as a baby, however, changes to S. Korea's adoption laws caused delays in the processing of his adoption application. William's parents traveled twice to South Korea to visit him and finally brought him home on November 15, 2013. William was 2 1/2 years old by the time he came to America. He has had to go though many adjustments including learning English, American food, to sleep on his own, get along with an older sister, and to live with his new family. William was only home for 5 months when, in May 2014, he tripped over his toy bunny while dancing and fell on his arm. A trip to the ER revealed his arm was broken and the x-rays showed abnormalities in his left humerus bone. William saw many doctors in Las Vegas, NV and ultimately had to visit Santa Monica, CA to obtain a possible diagnosis of a benign bone tumor. A bone biopsy at UCLA Santa Monica in July 2014 confirmed the diagnosis. William was scheduled for surgery in September 2014 to remove the tumor and reconstruct the arm. The tumor had destroyed the entire arm bone in less than 4 months and a cadaver bone was needed to replace his existing arm bone. William recovered beautifully from surgery, and his new arm was fully functional. However, an analysis of the tumor material by three top pathology labs in the United States, revealed that what was initially believed to be a benign bone tumor was in fact a rare bone cancer called Telangectatic Ostesarcoma that disguises itself as a benign bone tumor. At age 3, William was outside the normal age range of the tumor, which usually affects teenagers, and is believed to be one of the youngest known cases. Due to the rarity of the cancer, there is little data or research on how to treat it. The doctors prescribed 30 weeks of chemotherapy and a left arm amputation. Doctors stated William has an 80% chance of survival, with chemotherapy treatment and the amputation, based on the little treatment data available for his type of cancer. William started his first week of chemotherapy the week of November 15, 2014, the one year anniversary of his adoption and coming to the United States. William is 20 weeks into chemotherapy and he has been a strong, brave child. He just recently had his left arm amputated the week of April 14, 2015. William has 10 more weeks of chemotherapy to go to complete his cancer treatment. William is struggling to understand why his left arm needed to be amputated and is grieving the loss of his arm. William has already asked his parents for a new arm like his favorite movie character Hiccup and Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon. As his parents, we pray he will complete treatment and live a long happy life. William has lived a short life so far and has endured struggles unfathomable to most adults and yet his spirit remains bright.
The financial burden of the surgeries and cancer treatment has been tremendous for William's parents. Both parents work for the government and have health benefits, but the health plans are co-pay intensive costing ten of thousands of dollars each year and the travel costs for out of state for medical treatment are high. William's parents have needed to take FMLA to care for William during his medical treatment and the time off is unpaid. William's parents have looked into financial assistance from non-profits and government programs, but they don't qualify because they are both employed full-time with heath benefits. Williams' parents are looking for assistance from others to try to keep their jobs, avoid financial bankruptcy due to Williams tragic illness, and find the money to obtain a prosthesis for William so he can live a happy, care-free life post-treatment just like other little boys.
This has been Williams journey so far...
William was born in Seoul, S. Korea in 2011 and was given up by his mother for adoption because she was unwed. William lived in foster care as an orphan in South Korea until 2013. William was meant to be adopted as a baby, however, changes to S. Korea's adoption laws caused delays in the processing of his adoption application. William's parents traveled twice to South Korea to visit him and finally brought him home on November 15, 2013. William was 2 1/2 years old by the time he came to America. He has had to go though many adjustments including learning English, American food, to sleep on his own, get along with an older sister, and to live with his new family. William was only home for 5 months when, in May 2014, he tripped over his toy bunny while dancing and fell on his arm. A trip to the ER revealed his arm was broken and the x-rays showed abnormalities in his left humerus bone. William saw many doctors in Las Vegas, NV and ultimately had to visit Santa Monica, CA to obtain a possible diagnosis of a benign bone tumor. A bone biopsy at UCLA Santa Monica in July 2014 confirmed the diagnosis. William was scheduled for surgery in September 2014 to remove the tumor and reconstruct the arm. The tumor had destroyed the entire arm bone in less than 4 months and a cadaver bone was needed to replace his existing arm bone. William recovered beautifully from surgery, and his new arm was fully functional. However, an analysis of the tumor material by three top pathology labs in the United States, revealed that what was initially believed to be a benign bone tumor was in fact a rare bone cancer called Telangectatic Ostesarcoma that disguises itself as a benign bone tumor. At age 3, William was outside the normal age range of the tumor, which usually affects teenagers, and is believed to be one of the youngest known cases. Due to the rarity of the cancer, there is little data or research on how to treat it. The doctors prescribed 30 weeks of chemotherapy and a left arm amputation. Doctors stated William has an 80% chance of survival, with chemotherapy treatment and the amputation, based on the little treatment data available for his type of cancer. William started his first week of chemotherapy the week of November 15, 2014, the one year anniversary of his adoption and coming to the United States. William is 20 weeks into chemotherapy and he has been a strong, brave child. He just recently had his left arm amputated the week of April 14, 2015. William has 10 more weeks of chemotherapy to go to complete his cancer treatment. William is struggling to understand why his left arm needed to be amputated and is grieving the loss of his arm. William has already asked his parents for a new arm like his favorite movie character Hiccup and Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon. As his parents, we pray he will complete treatment and live a long happy life. William has lived a short life so far and has endured struggles unfathomable to most adults and yet his spirit remains bright.
The financial burden of the surgeries and cancer treatment has been tremendous for William's parents. Both parents work for the government and have health benefits, but the health plans are co-pay intensive costing ten of thousands of dollars each year and the travel costs for out of state for medical treatment are high. William's parents have needed to take FMLA to care for William during his medical treatment and the time off is unpaid. William's parents have looked into financial assistance from non-profits and government programs, but they don't qualify because they are both employed full-time with heath benefits. Williams' parents are looking for assistance from others to try to keep their jobs, avoid financial bankruptcy due to Williams tragic illness, and find the money to obtain a prosthesis for William so he can live a happy, care-free life post-treatment just like other little boys.
Organizer and beneficiary
Corey Fox
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV
Kelly Slade
Beneficiary