Avah Ogilvie
Saturday, May 19 Timbergrounds on Hwy 101 in South Bend will be hosting a fundraiser for 6 year old Avah Ogilvie who has been fighting for her life against leukemia. The fundraiser will be held all day long from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be a bake sale, car wash, and treats from Timber Grounds. All proceeds will go to Avah and her family's expenses for her treatment.
According to Avah's mother Brianna Verrall they learned in December that her leukemia had relapsed and she quickly needed a bone marrow transplant to fight the cancer. Unfortunately, in April they learned that the leukemia had become resistant to to chemo treatments and a new treatment plan was needed.
Avah's oncologist has informed the family that the next step in her battle is to go to Seattle Children's Hospital and talk with a team there about putting her on study called CAR T-Cell Immunotherapy. According to Verrall in the study they would remove T-Cells from her blood through a machine and train the T-Cells to attack and kill the leukemia in her bone marrow and then put them back in.
"She has already been hooked up to the machine," Verrall stated. "Now we are waiting to hear back from her doctor to have Avah sent to Seattle to have the T-Cells put back in. When she does the transplant we will be in Seattle for at least 4 months."
When Avah is sent to Seattle Children's Hospital she will have to have chemo and radiation treatment for a week prior to the transplant. "She will be in the hospital for about a month or so," Verrall stated. "Depending on how she is doing from the transplant. Then we will be in Seattle for another 3 months for her to be monitored during treatment."
The funds raised through the fundraiser will allow Avah and her family to have a little less stress and worry while she is receiving treatment.