#BaldUpForPeanut Fundraiser To Be Held This Thursday For Casper Boy Battling Leukemia

Last week The Mamot family of Casper received the devastating news that no parent ever wants to hear.  They learned that their son Chase, age 7,  has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Mike, Desiree and Chase are in Denver where Chase will receive chemotherapy and treatment for the cancer. His new home away from home will be the Denver Children's Hospital for the next several months. 

As treatment progresses, more specific information will become available about Chase's specific case, but for now, here is a little more information about pediatric AML.
AML is the second-most common form of leukemia in children. Also called acute nonlymphocytic leukemia or acute myeloid leukemia, it can affect both children and adults. In AML, as in other leukemias, it is the bone marrow that malfunctions as a result of disease. In AML, regulatory mechanisms go awry and bone marrow starts producing too many immature and abnormal cells called blasts. These blasts circulate throughout the blood stream and lymph system where they disrupt normal function of organs. Remissions are often obtained, but the leukemia can recur. Unlike other cancers, AML does not occur in stages. Instead, it tends to be found spread throughout the bloodstream at the time of diagnosis. As a result of its ability to affect the whole body at once, it must be treated aggressively as soon as possible.

Treatment for most children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is in 2 phases:

Phase 1: Induction Treatment is given over several days. The schedule of treatment may be repeated in 10 days or 2 weeks, depending on how intense the doctor wants the treatment to be.Treatment is repeated until the bone marrow shows no more leukemia. This usually happens after 2 or 3 treatments.

Phase 2: Consolidation (intensification) This phase begins after a remission when no more leukemia cells are seen in the bone marrow. For some children, a stem cell transplant is often recommended. For others with good prognostic factors, some doctors recommend just giving high-dose chemo and holding off on the stem cell transplant in case the AML comes back after treatment. And for some children, high-dose chemo is given for at least several months. Treatment is specific for each case. An important aspect of treatment for AML is supportive care (nursing care, nutrition, antibiotics, blood transfusions, etc.). With this care, a high rate of remission can be achieved.

Chase has a long battle ahead of him and your prayers would truly be appreciated. While Chase receives his treatments like a true hero and continues to be the brave, you can show him that he is in this with an army of family, friends and community that supports him. Chase may lose his hair, but not his awesome sense of humor.

There are several ways to participate. Attend the fundraising event, #BaldUpForPeanut - "Keep Calm And Go Hairless" this Thursday evening in Casper. #BaldUpForPeanut will be held Thursday, Febraury 19th at 5:30pm at the Yellowstone Garage located at 355 W. Yellowstone Hwy. Stylists and clippers will be on hand to Bald You Up! They will be shaving heads and raising money for Chase's fight against Leukemia. Shave your head and get Chase's "Keep Calm and Go Hairless" t-shirt! Can't make the Thursday event? Live out of town? Still down with shaving your head? Or maybe you're up for chopping your long locks to a super-short, super-cute pixie cut and donating to Locks of Love (just an idea)? Take a photo or video and tag it #BaldUpForPeanut on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Chase will be able to see your photos with his hashtag!

Chase has THE BEST sense of humor. He will smile, laugh, and likely make fun of all the bold baldies rocking the Chase inspired hairless hairdo! Pray for this family and show of support in any way you can -- I know they appreciate it and I know they feel it! Thank you in advance to everyone.

If you can’t make the event, you may also make a donation to Jason's Friends Foundation. Jason’s Friends is a local non-profit dedicated to assisting Wyoming families facing the challenges of fighting childhood cancers. Donations can be made at www.jasonsfriends.com or checks can be mailed to:

Jason's Friends Foundation
340 West B Street #101
Casper, WY 82601
(For donations to benefit the Mamot family exclusively please include "Chase Mamot" in the memo line)