Hope, Strength, and Healing for families coping with a child cancer diagnosis

Meet Keaton’s Kiddo Luke

Meet Keaton’s Kiddo Luke, a 5-year-old rock star who loves building legos! Luke was sadly diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, the most common type of cancerous brain tumor in children that starts in the lower part of the brain, potentially affecting coordination and balance.

Upon his sudden diagnosis in November of 2021, Luke underwent a very unexpected brain surgery, bringing a lot of anxious emotions to him and his loved ones. As the family’s biggest supporter, his mom took time off work to support his recovery, ultimately resulting in a change of income and unforeseen expenses. Although Luke had a successful surgery that supported his battle, his journey did not end there. He still has to undergo blood work, treatment, and hospital stays. Unfortunately, as a result of his treatment, he is now experiencing slight deafness, sadly causing possible permanent hearing loss.

Through this journey, Luke’s mom has shared the amazing support she receives from her mom and loved ones that help with taking him to appointments, as well as help with caring for his older sister, McKenzie, while Luke receives treatment. Now with Luke being referred to Keaton’s as of April 2022, this family’s support system is only growing stronger. It has been an honor to connect with Luke’s family through phone calls and messages, giving his mom the opportunity to share about their journey. Our Family Navigator team had the pleasure of connecting with Luke, his mom, and his grandmother in person when delivering his Hope Chest that was packed with love, care, and legos! He was even able to take home and surprise his sister with her very own, personalized Hope Chest! The joy-filled experiences do not stop there. Although Luke and his family are newer to Keaton’s, they recently attended their first-ever family event at Funderland Amusement Park where they were treated to dinner, dessert, craft activities, and unlimited rides!

Aside from emotional support, and many unforeseen moments, Keaton’s provided this family with a financial grant to support with gas, travel, and other expenses that ultimately come with a cancer diagnosis. Our Family Navigators are honored to join Luke in his strong fight against childhood cancer and we are dedicated to continuing support to other families, like Luke’s, through emotional, financial, and joy-filled care.

Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Jonhelle

Meet Keaton Kiddo Jonhelle, a sweet 9-year-old girl who loves painting, drawing, and biking. At just 6-years old, in August of 2020, Jonhelle was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, also known as ALL. With her diagnosis occurring in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic, her family came across many emotional and financial stressors, and faced much isolation as a family, as Jonhelle had two siblings at home.

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Keaton’s Kiddo Update – Lea

Princess Lea, 6 years old, loves playing outdoors, painting, coloring, playing with her siblings, and everything Jojo Siwa! Lea’s life-changing journey began November 30, 2020 in the midst of COVID, when she began experiencing excruciating pain. After 11 days of multiple tests and having her bone marrow examined, Lea was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) at the age of 3.5. Over the next 2 years she received aggressive treatment and participated in a clinical trial as well. She has been in remission since February 2021 and continued her active treatment journey.

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Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Santiago

Meet Keaton’s Kiddo Sweet Santiago! He is a 2-year-old who loves being outside and playing. Santiago was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor about 8 months ago. Wilms tumor is a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children. Also known as nephroblastoma, it is the most common cancer of the kidneys in children. This diagnosis did not stop Santiago from being resilient!

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