As many of our close family and friends know, Sailor and her family are facing something no child or family should ever have to face. On September 17th, it was confirmed that the leg pain Sailor had been experiencing was cancer. After extensive testing and scans, we learned that Sailor has pleomorphic sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that is currently isolated to her femur. On Monday, October 5th, Sailor began chemotherapy. Her treatment will be a long road, but her doctors have a very clear plan. She will begin with several pre-operative cycles of chemotherapy to see how effectively the treatment is working and how much the tumor responds. Her doctors will closely monitor the tumor’s response and can adjust her chemotherapy regimen if needed. Once the pre-operative chemotherapy is complete, Sailor will have a break to allow her body to recover and prepare for surgery. The surgery will remove the remaining visible tumor along with a margin of healthy bone surrounding it, with the goal of making sure all of the cancer is removed. She will also undergo reconstruction of her femur as part of that surgery. After she has fully recovered from surgery, Sailor will have at least one, and possibly two, additional cycles of chemotherapy. This additional treatment is intended to help eliminate any microscopic cancer cells that may be undetectable but could have traveled from the original tumor. From the beginning of treatment through chemotherapy, surgery, recovery, and the final rounds of treatment, Sailor’s journey could last approximately 8–10 months. We are taking this one day at a time and praying for easy sailing, strength, healing, and no surprises along the way. Supporting Sailor & Her Family While Sailor focuses on getting stronger and fighting this, her entire family is navigating this journey alongside her. Her mom, Shannon, will be staying with Sailor full-time during her hospital stays, making sure she is never alone through the hardest moments. Her dad, Marty, will be commuting back and forth between the hospital, home, and the rest of the family so he can be there for Sailor while still being present for their other children. Sailor’s four siblings are also trying to continue living as normally as possible — going to work and school, participating in activities, keeping up with everyday routines, and simply being young adults/kids — while their family adjusts to a completely different reality. That is where our One Tribe comes in. This page was created to help take some of the financial pressure off of Sailor’s family so they can focus their energy where it belongs: on Sailor, her treatment, and keeping their family together through this journey. Donations will help with the everyday expenses that continue even when life is anything but everyday, including: - Gas and travel expenses for the many trips back and forth to the hospital - Meals and food while spending long days and nights at the hospital - Groceries and meals at home while Shannon and Marty are away - Expenses associated with keeping Sailor’s siblings’ lives as normal as possible - Household bills and everyday necessities - Medical and treatment-related expenses not covered by insurance - Unexpected expenses that come with months of treatment, hospitalization, surgery, and recovery Every donation, no matter the size, will make a difference. And if donating isn’t possible, sharing this page, sending encouragement, checking in, or simply keeping Sailor and her family in your thoughts means more than you know. ⚓️ Praying for easy sailing, all the way to the other side ⚓️
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