Two Peas in a Pod

This page can now be reached by www.teamcharlotte.org or www.charlottedawes.com

You can learn more about Charlotte, and her Hepatoblastoma cancer below, or you can read one of the following pages:

Other pages in the TEAM Charlotte website: Everybody Loves Charlotte Original song by Songs of Love, just for Charlotte Overview of Medical Expenses Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah Daddy’s Special Hymn for Charlotte Childhood Cancer and Hepatoblastoma Resources What is a Hepatoblastoma? Caring Bridge Site – Not updated, Daddy finds it limiting in what it does, but some folks like using it

Charlotte’s Story

A wonderful, calm, smart, beautiful, engaging, funny, loving, precious little girl name Charlotte Emma, born July 12th, 2007.  She is our joyful blessing that God gave us to protect and teach, to love and cherish.

Learn how our Pediatrician detected this and how the wheels started rolling on this emotional adventure!

Charlotte was diagnosed on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 as having what appeared to be a benign tumor on her liver.  We scheduled surgery at Albany Medical Center for Monday, February 9th, 2009 to have a liver resection performed to remove the tumor.  Unfortunately, once the tumor was exposed is was determined (and confirmed later though Pathology Lab results) that the tumor was in fact cancerous.

The type of cancer was determined to be Hepatoblastoma.  This is a very rare cancer that affects young children, normally under the age of 4, and usually found between the ages of 1 and 2.  This cancer is diagnosed here in the US in about 0.9 per 1,000,000 children, or about 100 children a year.

Charlotte was eventually in the Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center for 7 nights, being released on Monday, February 16th, 2009.  It was really good to get home.  That week was an emotional and tiring experience that neither JoAnn or Toby would wish on any parent.

During the week, Charlotte had major surgery for the liver resection on the Monday, then spent 3 days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), then had a second surgery to implant a port that would be used to administer chemotherapy, and then she started the first of four 3-week chemotherapy cycles on Saturday (Valentine’s Day).

Over the next few month, with chemotherapy, and then extending out over the next few years we will have an added burden on our family not only emotionally, but also financially.  Expenses like hospital inpatient co-pays as well as outpatient clinic co-pays, accommodations for JoAnn and Toby when Charlotte is an inpatient for chemoterapy, food, travel, taking time out of work (some of which will end up being unpaid time off).  These all add up very fast.

If you feel led to give a helping hand to our family while we are in this time of need, please visit our “TEAM CHARLOTTE: Donations and Support Gear” page.  Here you can make a donation or purchase TEAM CHARLOTTE support gear, such as t-shirts.  Payments are made through Paypal.com and your merchandise will be shipped directly to you.  Please help support this little angel and her family!

In addition to purchasing TEAM CHAROTTE merchandise, we would like to invite you to donate money.  We can use this money for accommodations (with available space this will be at the Ronald McDonald House – www.rmhcofalbany.org).  This is an amazing charity, and any funds that we have left over after Charlotte’s treatment is complete will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House.