At the beginning of April, 2010, when Sam was just 4 months old, he had surgery to remove a lump from his scrotum.
On April 13th he was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma and given a 30% cure rate.
I learned of Sam’s story through friends who frequent one of the boards on the TheNest.com. His mother Cassie shared their story and asked for prayers of support. My heart ached for them and the tremendous battle they have ahead of them from the moment I heard of Sam’s diagnosis. I, like so many of you, followed Layla Grace’s battle with Neuroblastoma as she neared the end, and it tore me to pieces to think how unfair it is to lose a baby to cancer.
Sam may have the same form of cancer Layla Grace had, but there is hope for him. So much hope. His parents, family, friends and so many other people are willing to fight for him. Hard. He began chemo treatments on April 27th, and as of Cassie’s latest blog post, he seems to be handling round 2 pretty well.
Can I just say that I can not imagine the strength it takes to face something like this. Having a teething infant is hard, sleepless nights are exhausting, breastfeeding can drain you, but to eclipse all of that with a cancer diagnosis, chemo treatments and hospital admissions? Completely, totally unfair. UNFAIR.
I dissolved into a puddle of tears when I read this post on Cassie’s blog.
I hear people talk about what their kids are doing or what they hope they’ll do or become and I just desperately want him to make it there. Scraped knees, school dances, best friends, hurt feelings, swingsets and playgrounds with big slides, peeing on trees, playing in the dirt… I want him to experience it all.
To make matters worse… yes, worse… they now have to worry about finances and insurance. This is how Cassie explained their situation to me:
In order to take care of Sam I dropped to PRN or “as needed” status with my job, which meant that we were no longer eligible for benefits and starting in June will be paying for Cobra. My husband’s employer does not offer insurance and my husband and I are not eligible for private insurance due to preexisting conditions. At first I entertained the notion that I could still work 3 days a week, but soon realized that wasn’t feasible. We’ve only spent a handful of nights out of the hospital since his diagnosis.
Sam was approved for passport (medicaid.) The reason we would like to keep Cobra coverage for him in addition to the passport is because if for some reason he is dropped from passport and we need to add him back on the cobra plan there is a chance that there will be a waiting period before any preexisting conditions are covered if there is any lapse in coverage. We’re trying to play it as safe as possible. Cobra seems like a lot for us to pay for but is nothing compared to the astronomical amount we would have to pay for just ONE admission without insurance. But if worse comes to worst, my husband and I will just go without insurance.
I don’t know if this is divulging too much, but with my husband’s paycheck we can pay for our mortgage and bills and that’s it. There’s no extra for food or gas or necessities… and there’s really not $1,500 extra for Cobra. Next month our car will be paid off which will help. We are truly just trusting that God will provide and so far he has.
I reached out to Cassie because I wanted to help. I know I have the platform here to do so and amazing readers and contacts to help make it happen. With all the stress this family is having to deal with, medical bills and groceries should be the LEAST of their worries.
I’ve been working on this for a couple weeks, and I’m so excited to finally announce the #helpSam Fundraiser. Trust me, it’s going to rock. It has to. My goal is to raise at least $1,000 for Sam and his family, but how awesome would it be to blow that out of the water?! I know it’s possible. All the details, everything you need to know about how to make a difference with only $5 is HERE. Help me #helpSam.
I am so proud of you for doing this Jill. I am also glad it is open to Canadians to donate!
Hi… I donated and blogged… apparently I am not as internet savvy as I thought because I can not figure out how to get the trackback to work. But, whatever. It’s out there!
thanks so much for organizing this. I just tweeted @metta1313
I donated and tweeted about this wonderful fundraiser
I just donated and tweeted. I will be blogging about your awesome effort too!
I just donated and tweeted. I will be blogging about your awesome effort too!
(tweeted by @seattlebabygear)
Hi again. I just saw that you retweeted the tweet I twittered.
I donated and tweeted…I don’t think my comment posted. It is amazing what you’ve done here!
And now I see that I’ve posted 3 comments. I’m sorry.
Anyway, here is the link to my blog:
http://withrootsandwings.com/2010/06/02/the-overwhelming-strength-of-the-mama/
I blogged and donated.
What a wonderful thing you’re doing. I’m proud to donate. My prayers to Sam and his family.
Thanks for doing this! Cassie is a wonderful person and loves her little boy SO much. I don’t know her well–just from work–but I like her a LOT and am happy to help just a little bit.
I tweeted about this. Thank you so much for setting this up to help the Sartins.
I also blogged about this and donated.
http://throneofthornes.blogspot.com/2010/06/help-sam.html
I just donated, tweeted, facebooked, and prayed <3
Rock on Jill and everyone who is taking part. I love to see goodness in people. I donated!!!!
I donated and blogged! God bless little Sam and his family.
Thank you for supporting this incredibly worthy cause. My heart goes out. I’ve grabbed your button and will RT your tweet to Ellen in hopes she picks up on this story.
Sam is getting my church donations for the month, as well as my prayers. He is adorable, and I hope he gets better very soon!
Donated and tweeted (@brakspants). Here’s to meeting the goal!
I donated and tweeted.
Hugs and prayers for the little guy!
I just donated! One of my boys is the same age as Sam and I can’t even begin to imagine what his family is going through. Baby Sam will remain in my thoughts and prayers. May the Lord give Sam the strength he needs to beat this cancer and be with his family during this difficult time.
I donated!
FINALLY got PayPal to work for me… sorry it took me so long!
Just donated and tweeted! Thank you so much for setting this up, you really are a guardian angel for this family. I cannot begin to imagine what they’re going through…
This is amazing!! I just donated and posted the link to my Facebook profile. My son was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at 6 months and has successfully completed treatment. He’s now a beautiful and healthy 15 month old. I understand what this family is going through and I pray for the same outcome for baby Sam and their family.
Tweeted and donated! This is why I love the internet.
Hey Jill!! I just tweeted about the giveaway! I also made a donation! Hope you make the $8K goal by tonight!
I blogged about the fundraiser, too! I hope you make it to $8K!
http://notsuperjustmom.blogspot.com/2010/06/helpsam-fundraiser.html
I donated and tweeted @avidreadingmom
It is an amazing thing you are doing! I will be praying for that sweet baby and his family.
HI there! I donated and also tweeted!!
@gretablau
Awesome cause. Wish I could give more.
I donated and I also tweeted and posted on my Facebook account. I’m not really interested in winning any of the prizes. I just wanted to donate. I know what it would mean to me if it were my baby who needed help. Bless baby Sam and I’m praying for him. <3
I donated and tweeted, go Sam!
This family’s story makes me tear up every time. Thank you for restoring my faith that the internet can be used for really great things. I wish I could donate more but hopefully every little bit helps!
tweeted 3 times! GOOD LUCK!
retweeting at
#wmweeza
Just donated. You ROCK for setting all of this up. Many, many prayers being sent up for Sam!