Meet our Families!
We are honored to introduce our first ever Madelyn James family!
We are honored to introduce you to our first ever Madelyn James family.
Violeta is a sweet and adorable seven-month old girl who comes from an amazing family. She lives with her parents (Carol and Lorenzo), aunt and uncle, grandmother, four-year-old brother and three-year-old brother in New Jersey.
On February 23rd, her parents were by her side when they received the news: she was diagnosed with quadrilateral retinoblastoma. That means that Violeta has cancer in both of her eyes, and a large tumor in her brain. She has been living in the hospital with her Mom and Dad since March 1. To get to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), they must drive sixty miles, which means in traffic, this can be up to two hours.
As a cancer family, you learn to live a double life. You change your identity. And, you do anything and everything you can do for your children.
When we met them for the first time, it was the first day Carol had left Violeta’s bedside and been outside in the sun since she was admitted to CHOP. One entire month of never leaving her daughter’s side. She is still nursing Violeta. She only sees her sons on the weekend. She is a true superwoman. Dad has been going back and forth to support her brothers. He is the epitome of the pillar of the family. Grandma and aunt are watching the boys at home.
Mom cleans houses and runs a nail business out of her home. Dad works as a landscape laborer. And, while Violeta is is in the hospital her grandmother and aunt and uncle are living with her brothers. Her brothers, aunt, uncle and grandmother come to visit every Saturday.
Violeta’s mother cannot work at all, and her father works to figure out the balance between spending time with his critically ill daughter and working to support the rest of the family.
What’s next for Violeta?
Violeta will undergo five rounds of very intense chemotherapy. This chemotherapy protocol may cause nutritional challenges, low blood counts, and immunosuppression, among other significant side effects.
She will have an autologous (from your own body) stem cell transplant
She will likely be hospitalized for much of the next seven months as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) team works to cure her cancer
Once Violeta’s planned treatment is complete, she will have regular exams under anesthesia, oncology visits, and laboratory tests to monitor for response and recurrence.
What will we be doing to partner with Violeta?
Financial Support: We will be supporting their family’s monthly rent ($1,350 per month) and car payment ($700 per month) for at least six months
Moments of Joy: We are working with their family to bring the entire family together and keep them together during treatment. This means driving up (gas money), staying at a room near the hospital (hotel costs), and fun moments (museums, gifts for Violeta’s brothers). And, we met to give them a gift bag of “must haves” for long hospital stays (purple blanket, accessible baby clothes, a night-light, sound machine, bibs, washable toys, and a roll-out mattress topper)
Logistical Stress: We will be working with their incredible social worker to take the logistical stress out of finding a cure for their daughter. All of our payments will be direct-to-vendor to ensure their income does not increase during treatment.
Tie Families Together
Meet Legend
We are honored to share our new family with you! Welcome to Madelyn James, Legend!
Legend is so special. He laughs so much, cuddles and snuggles with such amazing love. His laugh makes your heart melt. As his whole family says, "He truly is A Legend!"
In 2023, Amanda and Joshua Collazo found themselves excited to move to Florida, start a new chapter of their life and welcome their fourth child into the world. Their three children, Leylanni (9), Landon (7), Leighton (1) were excited to have another brother!
Legend was born on July 1, 2023 and while the birth was not easy, this amazing, little boy was joyfully welcomed by his family. Then, when Legend was just seven weeks old, on August 23rd, 2023 Amanda and Josh heard the news no family should ever hear, “Your son has infant Leukemia.”
From that day on, Amanda Never Left the Hospital, She spent every day at the hospital with her baby. Every day, Joshua would drop Legend’s brothers and sister off at school and then drive over one hour to the hospital and one hour back - so he could be with Amanda and Legend. The Love and care the Collazos have for each other runs deep and is inspirational.
After 54 days in the hospital, 11 of those days being in the PICU. Legend finally got to go home!
Legend underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, some that had to be done inpatient, some that Mom had to give to him at home. Just when the family thought things were going to start looking up for Legend and as he was about to start his Maintenance period of treatment, the Collazos received heart breaking news: Legends cancer returned. He relapsed on his first day of Maintenance.
As the Collazo family's home hospital team in Florida worked diligently to devise a new strategy, Legend embarked on a more intense course of treatment. Every week, Legend underwent the procedure of weekly spinal taps with unwavering determination.
In search of top-notch care, the family made the decision to move to Philadelphia to enroll Legend in the HU-Cart trial at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The entire family made the journey, including their beloved pets. While homeschooling their children, they made every effort to create a comforting environment for their family. Now, Amanda and Joshua, along with their remarkable children and the incredible Legend, are united in their pursuit of the best possible treatment for Legend. Their unwavering dedication has brought them together to create lasting memories in this challenging journey.
What’s next for Legend?
Legend and his family will stay in Philadelphia during his trail Hu-CART treatment
They will return to Florida after 28 days
They will need to return to Philadelphia every three months for check-ups
What will we be doing to partner with Legend?
Financial Support: We will be supporting their family’s monthly rent when they return to Florida and help cover the cost of traveling with the entire family.
Moments of Joy: We are working with their family to bring the entire family together and keep them together during treatment. One of our special things we do at Madelyn James when we meet families is ask each family member to fill out a “favorite things” survey. It helps us get to know each of the family members and surprise and delight them with fun, little gifts that makes them know we are thinking of each of them as individuals and supporting them in the way they want support.
Logistical Stress: We will be working with their incredible social worker to take the logistical stress out of finding a cure for their son. All of our payments will be direct-to-vendor to ensure their income does not increase during treatment. And, we have supported purchasing a new computer, items to make life a little easier and more fun when being away from home.
We are honored to share Legend’s story with our Madelyn James family. Their ability to bring joy and spread love during this very difficult time is amazing.
The first time I met Amanda, she made us empanadas. Their whole family is full of love, selfless, and pure.
