My name is Charles, or Charlie. I enjoy exploring  the outdoors, looking for frogs. I have over 100 hot wheel cars. My favorite thing to do is build dirt tracks and city's for my cars. Riding my bike on dirt roads in Sierra Valley is so awesome.. 

I have a younger sister Who is not even a year younger than me. We actually are the same age for 6 days. Her name is Maressa. She is one of my bestfriend. I have 2 older siblings Ciara and Jason. 

Our life has recently turned upside-down.

My mom thought I was exhausted from the heat wave when I had no motivation to get up Saturday or Sunday. I was tired. My leg, back, hip and butt became very painful. I told my mom I had fallen at school during waterday that Friday. She assumed I bruised my tailbone. The pain was horrible. I sat in the bath that made the pain stop, the heating pad helped too. My mom took me to the ER on Tuesday. They gave me Tylenol for pain took XRays and sent me home. Thursday my mom noticed a small lump on my neck. She checked my throat for strep. I did not have pain like I was sick with strep.

Friday I wanted to go to school. I showed my mom these red small rash looking things on my legs. She thought they were odd. But I had a different rash on my face a few weeks prior so all these sudden things were just random. Plus we had been to the Doctor 4 times in one month. Just sent home.

While at school I fell asleep and the teachers could not wake me. I could not walk or see very well. My neck had started to swell and below my ears. My grandma came to the school and carried me to the car.  My mom was waiting at the doctor's office where my grandma works. She ran me in through the back door into a room. My mom was crying, panicking scared for me. I got my throat swabbed and my blood drawn. My mom showed the lady the dots on my legs. She told us to go home and she would call as soon as she had the results.

She called and my mom did not want to wait for a call from a different doctor some time next week for an appointment.

My mom loaded the car made me a bed and we drove for a very long time to a huge City. We got to the biggest hospital ever. It was really late at night, I was so tired. We got to the ER where so many DRs and people examing me, taking blood and asking questions. We finally were admitted July 29, 2023. 

My mom was told I had Leukemia. They need to get a biopsy to confirm what type. First thing Monday. 

I had my first blood transfusion on the 30th

July 31st I had my first LP, Bone Marrow biopsy and chemo infused into my spine. I also was giving a Chemo Port. 

From July 29th to August 9th, 2023

2 blood transfusion, 3 platelet transfusions, 2 LPs, 2 spinal infusions, 4 IV chemotherapy pushes and a chemo port installed. I have neuropathy on my right side so it's ard to walk normal. I limp nnow.i have gained a lot of weight. 

We have been driving 3 or more hours every Monday to get treatment. On August 28th I had a biopsy to determine the direction of chemo at 30 days. After 30 days I should be in remission.  Unfortunately the results show I have residual leukemia in my bone marrow. Very little.

So we start intensive chemo first thing Tuesday September 5th. 

My birthday is coming up on the 19th and I don't want to celebrate in the hospital. I can't go to school and I really miss my friends.

Thank you for supporting me and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick's Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure.