Maxx was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma on December 21, 2021. He had persistent pain in his leg. He then relapsed in April of 2024.
Maxx has had a femur replacement, been through countless chemo treatments and scans. He is about to start a new trial drug and add in radiation.
Everything revolves around his treatment and his safety. He is a tough kid who loves others deeply.
Hope session by Lionel Faith Photography | Instagram
Hope session by Sunlight Moments Photography | Facebook | Instagram
Avery was a very healthy and athletic little girl. She was a competitive gymnast and was going to 6 hours of gymnastics a week, she played every sport and loved to be outside. Avery also is a great skier and was skiing three days before her diagnosis. On the day of her diagnosis, she was in school and there were no reported concerns. Avery had random night fevers and some small nosebleeds. She was the girl who would NOT sit still from the second she woke up until she went to bed. She had more energy than any little girl I knew. Avery loved going to school, friend gathering, and being with her family. This diagnosis has crushed her soul and changed her life completely.
We have been at the hospital since her diagnosis, leaving our 4-year-old son with family members. Avery has had several Lumbar Punctures (twice a week) and had a Bone Marrow Transplant. Avery will have several more procedures in the upcoming weeks. We struggle a lot financially, emotionally, and mentally with everything during these procedures.
Avery’s life went from practices, school, play, etc to laying in a hospital bed not being able to move. We have a 4-year-old son who is without his parents most of the week and only sees them once a week. We have had to modify our work schedules to accommodate being in the hospital. We have a long road of chemotherapy, appointments, procedures, long nights, etc. Our lives have completely changed in a matter of minutes.
Avery is strong and is fighting every day and has processed everything better than any adult. She is amazing!
Hope session by My Tribe Photography | Facebook | Instagram
Hope session by Apple of Our Eye Photography, LLC | Facebook | Instagram
Rowan is our youngest and is the most sensitive of our children. He’s very sweet, funny, an animal lover, and enjoys being with his family. Rowan’s favorite things to do would be to play Roblox, go to school, and play with his brother, Christian.
Early this year, Rowan had swollen and painful joints. It felt like the joint pain was different every week and he got to the point, that the pain was so debilitating he wouldn’t walk. At this time, we went to several specialists, to the ER, and had medical tests run and no one could tell us what was plaguing our son.
Rowan has been hospitalized twice since being diagnosed with leukemia. The 1st time was when he was diagnosed and the second time, the chemo caused him to develop a bowel blockage. He’s had MRIS, CT scans, weekly labs, lumbar punctures, and accessed and de-accessed for chemo among other things.
We stay at home a lot more and keep visitors to a minimum. It’s been hard because we have 3 other kids. We want to play sports, go have play dates, or go to a carnival or school activity and we have had to say no because of the exposure to germs.
Hope session by Jocelyn Collins Photo + Film | Instagram
Kali’a was diagnosed with leukemia on November 14, 2023. She had no symptoms at all. We had a 4-month well-child check and we were going to cancel that because we had reservations to Disneyland. But something in us told us to just go to the appointment. Our wonderful Kaiser pediatrician found a lump on her spleen and wanted to do further testing.
After that, we went to Disneyland. The next day we did more testing and right away the doctor called and said to pack a bag and go straight to Rady’s ER and that they would be waiting. I was confused because we had Kaiser. But that’s when we got the devastating news. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I’m 90% sure your daughter has leukemia” I’ll never forget that and those feelings I had.
The leukemia diagnosis for our daughter has shattered the core of our family life. Our dreams of a new baby and joyous holidays were cruelly replaced by the shocking reality of a child battling cancer. Weeks spent in the hospital watching our little one fight for her life meant being separated from our boys, and missing the simple pleasures of togetherness. Financial struggles, emotional exhaustion, and the absence of external support have left us feeling isolated and overwhelmed. Despite the heartache and hardships, our baby girl is doing so well now and that’s more than we can ask. We are blessed to say her brother is her bone marrow donor.
Hope session by Robin Litrenta Photography | Facebook | Instagram