Raise Up for Rees

Nothing could have prepared Rees' parents, Andrew (Flick) and Amanda, for the phone call they received from his pediatrician at the end of August.  

Rees is a 14 year old Autistic teenager at Bellefonte Area High School. He is an avid fisherman, Special Olympics Athlete, and animal enthusiast.  After being sick for a week, Rees missed the start of his freshman year of high school.  His mother took him to the hospital for testing on August 28th, and after routine bloodwork, blast cells commonly associated with Leukemia were detected.  He was immediately admitted to Geisinger Hospital in Danville for further testing.  

Rees underwent many tests over the course of the next week, including blood draws, CT scans, spinal taps, and a bone marrow biopsy, to determine the diagnosis and for his medical team to devise a treatment course for him.  On August 30th, Rees and his parents received the diagnosis from his medical team as Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive cancer.

Rees had a medi-port placed and chemotherapy began the following day to start attacking this terrible disease.  He will continue aggressive treatment and spend most of the next 6 months living in the hospital as he begins his battle against cancer.

Naturally, the worlds of Rees and his parents have been rocked.  They will undergo many medical expenses as well as work reductions while they stay by Rees' side and help him fight this terrible disease.  While Rees' parents are separated, they unite as one to be a strong support system for him.  His mother's friends and family have also started a GoFundMe Page on Rees' behalf, and can be accessed here: https://gofund.me/b03f0bcb .  A donation to either page would be greatly appreciated!  All funds and proceeds from these fundraisers will go to Rees and his family as they begin their journey to get Rees cancer-free!