Page 231 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

THE EXCEPTIONAL HARLEY FETTERMAN

In March of 2015, Harley, in the role of “shavee”, asked the public
to help him fund research that could help save the life of a child
diagnosed with cancer. He posted this request for donations to St.
Baldrick's at an event at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin:

At the age of five years old, doctors discovered a tumor in my optic
nerve. To treat it and a cyst that grew from it, I received two rounds of
chemotherapy and about ten brain surgeries. The tumor also caused
me to go blind, forcing me to learn Braille and other blindness-
related skills.
However, I am not cancer free; a little over a year ago, I was
diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a bone-marrow condition caused by
one of the medications I took. Therefore, I am right now preparing for
a bone marrow transplant.
Each dollar that St. Baldrick's raises helps to fund childhood
cancer research. The more research there is, the more cures there are.
The more cures there are, the more lives can be saved. The more
treatment options there are, the better chance is that kids may not
have to get bone marrow transplants. Please donate to help kick
cancer's ass.
To a cure,
Harley

Harley and his family, with guidance from his oncologists, set a
goal of finding the perfect BMT donor by July of 2015 and started
meeting with a Bone Marrow Team at Houston Medical Center. If a
donor could not be not found, a Haploid transplant using blood from
Harley's parents would be considered. They were told that the survival
rate for the first 100 days from a Haploid procedure is about 75% and
relapse rate in the first year is about 45%. But if there is no relapse,
chance of survival is 93%. The family felt they could and should
remain optimistic about the future.
In 2015, Harley's St. Baldrick's team went over their goal of raising
$25,000 for Tara's team. In November, Harley also participated in a
ceremony at Dell Children's. There the Gypsy Motorcycle Club
presented St Baldrick's organization with a check for $8,000.

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