#Thomasstrong Benefit

Description

Lori and Sean Williams, who married in December 2017. Excited to start their family, Thomas, was born March 31, 2019; In December 2020, they welcomed his little sister, Verna. April 1, 2021 started out normal as Thomas went in for his two-year checkup; he was his usual happy-go-lucky self. The doctor said he looked perfect in every way, however, she noticed some abnormal bruising. Using her “knowledge is power” attitude, she ordered blood work just to be certain his bruises were not indicative of something moreserious. The weekend rolled around and Thomas was not himself. The Williams family had an insanely busy week being on-the-go nonstop. Sean and Lori noticed that Thomas’s appetite was low and he just seemed worn out. He didn’t have a fever, but they began to notice that Thomas seemed to be in pain when he was picked-up under his arms. He also cried and had some pain when being washed in his groin area. Sean and Lori knew something was not right. Easter Sunday, Thomas woke up and still wasn’t himself. Sean offered him candy, but he was too sore or tired to even reach out and put the candy to his mouth. Later that day, Sean took Thomas to the park; he sat on the step of the play structure and cried when he walked. Thomas is usually a monkey at the park and hard to keep up with. After going down for an early nap, Thomas woke up crying with a fever of 100.4, so off to urgent care they went. They said it was probably a viral thing and that the pain under his arms was most likely due to swollen lymph nodes, which can happen from a virus. They were advised to take him home, give him Tylenol for the fever and get him in the next day for the blood work the pediatrician ordered. Monday morning, Lori took Thomas to the clinic for the blood work. He had a low-grade fever when he woke up, but after some Tylenol, he perked right up! He wanted to wear his hardhat and bulldozer shirt to the clinic, and it brought a smile to everyone he met. Monday evening, Thomas’s blood results came back and they were not good. Thomas has been diagnosed with Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia (AMKL). AMKL is rare form of Leukemia in children. This particular variant of Leukemia requires a very aggressive treatment plan. Thomas is currently being treated at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Sean and Lori’s world completely turned upside down and they are now living every parent’s worst nightmare. To help the family offset the cost of Thomas’s medical treatment and assist the family with the financial burden that comes along with this rare form of cancer, we are going to hold a benefit! The benefit will take place on September 11,2021 (11 a.m. – 11 p.m.). More details coming soon! Here’s where you come in! To make this successful, we need all the support we can get! At this time, we’re seeking donations for the benefit, to include items, such as: Raffle Baskets, Door Prizes, Silent Auction Items, and any other items that will be useful at the benefit. We’d love to have these items by September 1, 2021. Feel free to send them to the address below or contact me for pick-up. Your generous donation will be acknowledged on our sponsorship banner at the event, our Facebook page and we will announce/promote your organizations name during the event. We truly appreciate anything you are willing to donate to help save this little warrior! If you have any questions regarding the #ThomasStrong Benefit, please feel free to contact me. Respectfully, Adrienne Kingery thomasstrong6@yahoo.com Thomas’ Grandma & Event coordinator