BES HONORS MADELYNN

I would like to take a moment to share the following information with you that is very close to my heart. I am very active in supporting the Ronan Thompson Foundation. The Ronan Thompson Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to finding a cure for neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. Pediatric cancer is the number one disease killer of children. Neuroblastoma is the fifth most common cancer in children, and tragically, less than half of these patients are cured. Neuroblastoma is the deadliest form of pediatric cancer. 

Many of you have older children that have gone through or are currently at Crossroads Middle School. They may or may not have had Todd and/or Ginger Nelson. Madelynn Nelson is the 3 yr old granddaughter of Todd and Ginger Nelson. Her parents are Amanda Jo and Rob Nelson.

Madelynn was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in November 2013. She went through a year of chemotherapy,  stem cell transplant, radiation, two surgeries, and immunotherapy. She was declared cancer free during her treatment.

Unfortunately, Madelynn's latest CT scan shows a significant  growth in the size of her tumor. It has spread to her bile duct and lymph nodes in her abdomen and has invaded a kidney . She has been in lots of pain, but with medicine is being made comfortable.

There is no cure for Madelynn's cancer, and she is not responding to the latest treatment. Her blood and platelet counts continue to remain low and are not improving.  Her parents have contacted Hospice and have brought Madelynn home to Irmo to be with her family and friends.

Since BES is one of the feeder schools for CRMS, we consider it a part of our extended family. As such, we would like to show our love and support as a school for this sweet little girl and her family during this difficult time.

So on Tuesday, Jan 13, we want to honor Madelynn and her courageous fight with cancer.  Students and staff are encouraged to wear PURPLE (her favorite color) or something with owls (her favorite creature.) Also, for a $1 donation, your child can wear a hat all day on Tuesday.

BES Beta Club and Student Council members will also accept additional donations each morning in the theater and Beacon's Point through Tuesday. All donations received will go to the YouCaring.com account for Team Madelynn to help with her medical expenses. If you would like to donate additionally I have included the link here. 

YouCaring.com

Thank you ahead of time for your support and generosity.
If you would like to see a clip of WLTX's coverage of Disney princesses visiting Madelynn Tuesday evening,  visit http://www.wltx.com/story/news/local/2015/01/06/cancer-irmo-disney/21371945/.