REESE’S CHILD OF THE MONTH PROGRAM

All purchases on the website each month benefit a child in need.  Every three months we try to raise awareness for a specific child and the challenges they are facing. When you purchase something on the site you can see and get to know the specific child you have helped rather than just looking at the illness as a whole.
 

JANUARY 2017 - MARCH 2017

SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER: SWEET BABY SOPHIE

Sophie Isabella Ryan was diagnosed with a rare Optic Pathway Glioma brain tumor on June 23rd, 2013 at the age of 8 1/2 months old. Since her diagnosis she has underwent major brain surgery to remove a cyst and biopsy the tumor to ensure that it wasn't a terminal tumor, which it is not. She has also endured 5 other hospital stays due to chemo related issues and has had nine blood transfusions. She finished a 13 month chemo protocol on November 20th and unfortunately relapsed and is not in treatment again.  With this type of glioma the replase rate is 65% so 2 out of every 3 kids have to have chemo again.

December - February: Sweet Baby Kicker

Meet Caleb "Kicker" Johnson, one of the most kind and timid, yet rambunctious 4-year-old boys you'll ever meet. During the ...first week of December 2013, after drawing some blood due to concerns around pain and bruising in his legs, Kicker was diagnosed with Type B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).


 

March - MAY: Sweet Baby Charley

Charley was born on August 13th 2013. She was healthy and beautiful with 10 fingers and 10 toes, she was the happiest baby I...d ever seen. She was perfect! 

At 2 months old I started to think she was a little on the small side. I asked her doctor and he said that she was fine, she may just be a small child. At 3 months old I was even more concerned and took her back to the doctors office and in fact she had lost weight from her last visit. We then started trying to figure out what was causing her weight loss. After many tests and scans they found a mass in her brain. We were flown to children's of Alabama in Birmingham. There they did a biopsy and December 3rd 2013 Charley was diagnosed with brain cancer Pilocytic Astrrocytoma and an extremely rare neurological disorder Diencephalic Syndrome that is caused the tumors. 

Diencephalic Syndrome is a very rare neurological disorder characterized by failure to thrive, abnormal thinness (emaciation), amnesia, intense sleepiness, unusual eye position and sometimes blindness. It is normally seen in infancy or early childhood but some cases have been reported in older children and even adults. Diencephalic syndrome is usually caused by a brain tumor such as a low-grade glioma or astrocytoma.

June -August: Sweet Baby Grace

Baby Grace has Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdiod Tumor (ATRT) An extremely rare and difficult to treat brain tumor. She was diagnosed at 6 months old. Since her diagnosis Grace has completed 4 rounds of chemotherapy, 1 stem cell harvest, and 2 stem cell rescues. She has another round of chemotherapy and stem cell rescue and she started protein beam therapy this month. Grace has endured a few setbacks likea hematoma, shunt revision and a PICC reinsertion but she is a true fighter.

September - November : Sweet Baby Charlie

Charlie Is a beautiful 4  month old baby girl. At 20 weeks pregnant, they learned that Charlie had congestive heart problems. Just last week, Charlie had her first open heart surgery at Children's Hospital in Oakland, about an hour drive from where we live. She came through very strong, but it seems that this is just the first of what could be many surgeries.

Tony continues to work, and makes the drive to the hospital as often as he can, and Korie comes back and forth as well. They do have insurance, but it's not covering everything.  They owe $6000 just from the birth and hospital stay, and have yet to receive the bill for this first surgery.