The following is a post from Vincent’s Aunt, Stacey Hager. Please read Vincent’s story. He deserves a chance to beat this thing, just like all of our warriors do. Please consider helping this sweet baby boy. xo, Sara
Vincent Norbert Malcheski was born september 13th, 2012 in Green bay, Wi. vincent means ‘to conquer’. he is the third child of don and beth malcheski. vincent has an older brother matt (almost 5) and an older sister grace (3 on sunday). i don’t know that i’ve ever actually heard vincent cry, he is always such a happy, content baby. the first week in april beth found a lump in his abdomen while changing his diaper. he was seen a few days later by his pediatrician. vincent was first sent for an x-ray. when that was inconclusive he had an ultrasound done. his day of tests finally ended with a cat scan. the doctors still weren’t sure what the lump was but knew it could be serious.
By the next morning don, beth and vincent found themselves in milwaukee at children’s hospital. they were under the impression that surgery would be done immediately to remove the lump. the hospital was actually busy putting together a team so surgery was not performed until the next day. at that time they were only able to do a biopsy. they found a 10 x 6 cm tumor crushing vincent’s bladder. he soon underwent surgery to place nephrostomy tubes in each kidney. this was a surgery he has actually had to endure several times. vincent also received a central line.
Friday april 12th vincent was officially diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. the next day he turned 7 months old. this is obviously devastating news for any parent to receive. vincent has been undergoing chemotherapy ever since. don and beth have been handling things amazingly. they not only have to care for a child with cancer but also two other very young children while balancing school and work. don is currently finishing up schooling for an industrial mechanic degree. beth is a social worker. obviously finances would be strained with just the medical bills.
Now the family has to jump another hurdle. radiation can be devastating to the body even if it does wipe out the cancer. there are so many harsh side effects. a relatively new therapy has been recommended to them that is a more gentle, yet still effective treatment, proton therapy. this therapy is not always covered by insurance and even if it is, the nearest treatment center is just outside of chicago. when vincent starts his radiation treatment the entire family will need to relocate for 5-8 weeks. this means in addition to all of the medical expenses they are already dealing with, they will also be incurring additional living costs while missing out on work. my hope is that the money raised here will ease their worries just a bit and allow them to focus solely on vincent conquering cancer. thank you.
