Roman

Roman is Tabitha’s younger brother who is 11 years old. He loves to be outdoors and plays soccer

Tabitha has high risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia also known as ALL. She was diagnosed with this on March 11th, 2016. Tabitha is currently receiving twice a month chemotherapy sessions. The oncologists call this the maintenance part of chemo. We were thrown a curve ball a few months ago during one of her chemotherapy sessions, her port where she receives her chemo through, became dislodged. This is a concern because she will have to undergo two intense surgeries to remove and replace this port.
Tabitha has a history of not recovering well when she comes out of surgery so we are predicted to have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. We hope this does not interfere with the holiday season. The family does not consider this any less stressful than her chemo sessions before. She still experiences the horrible side effects of chemo and many times is unable to be active for the duration of the week after chemo.  We are still concerned because her immune system is still compromised and pneumonia can be a very serious threat to her life. We are constantly vigilant of her going out in public and being exposed to the many germs that surround our everyday lives. Chemo therapy for most children with her cancer goes on for a three-year period. Tabitha’s well being and her health very much consume our family even at this point of her treatment.
Financially it has taken a toll on the family as well and we are often struggling to make ends meet. Because she requires someone to be with her at all times, only my husband is working. ALL is almost impossible for families and individuals to deal with all the expenses related to ALL on their own, even when insurance is being used. Consider for example how difficult it would be for you to come up with extremely large amounts of money on a regular basis over a three-year time frame.
For the average American family, this would lead to bankruptcy or the heartbreaking decision of her not receiving proper medical care. We are also having a difficult time showing the other children the full attention that they require and deserve as well when we are constantly ensuring Tabitha is doing well. We have had to miss several milestones in all of their lives because of this disease. We are hoping that she will be able to enjoy Christmas with her family this year because she was hospitalized for the holidays last year.
Roman is Tabitha’s younger brother who is 11 years old. He loves to be outdoors and plays soccer. His favorite stores are Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods. His wish list includes: A hoverboard and a black Adidas soccer bag that holds the soccer ball in it, Adidas soccer pants, Nike soccer shorts, Nike soccer socks, gift card to Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and a movie theatre gift card. He is a 10-12 or large in kids for both shirts and pants. He is a size 7 in men’s shoes. His coat size is a large in kids.
We would like to thank a moment to say thank you for your kindness. The children will cherish whatever they receive. You will brighten our entire family’s holiday season.

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