As I often do, I was searching through GoFundMe pages—stories of families battling brain cancer, heart disease, and the unimaginable—when I came across the Delano family in Michigan. Their fundraiser had been started by a grandmother for her daughter, Ashley, whose 2-year-old son, Easton, was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, an aggressive pediatric brain cancer, in December 2025.

With further testing, Easton has also been diagnosed with Gorlin Syndrome. Medulloblastoma is a recognized manifestation of Gorlin syndrome. It is considered a serious, early-childhood complication occurring in approximately 3% to 5% of individuals with the syndrome, often appearing before age 2. It is the kind of diagnosis no parent is ever prepared to hear. The treatments are grueling. The prognosis is terrifying. And suddenly, life becomes a fight—not just for survival, but for every moment.

Easton is now in that fight, surrounded by his mother Ashley, his father Tim, and his two older brothers, Remington and Leo—each of them carrying a piece of the weight.

When we first reviewed their story, we knew they needed help. What we didn’t yet understand was just how desperate their situation had become.

When Ashley and I finally connected, the reality came into focus. She hadn’t been able to work for nearly four months. Bills were piling up. The cost of traveling back and forth to the hospital—two hours from home—was pushing them deeper into a financial crisis they couldn’t escape.

Then came her message after learning KARE would be helping:

“I’m bawling my eyes out right now. We have a shut-off notice for our electricity. Rent is due this week. Car insurance too. I just started back at work after almost four months, but I’ve only gotten a few hours so far. We have home repairs needed… I don’t even know what to say… THANK YOU. This past year has been the most terrifying, heart-wrenching year of my life.”

Since that devastating day in December, Ashley and Tim have been living in a constant state of motion and sacrifice. Ashley and Tim now juggle work and weekends to cover being with Easton at the hospital, as well as care for their two other sons at home. The emotional and physical toll is relentless—for both of them, and for their entire family.

Like so many parents, Ashley knew something was wrong long before there were answers. She kept bringing Easton to doctors, searching for someone to listen. Instead, they were given different diagnoses. Different medications. No relief. No answers.

Until one day, they refused to leave the ER.

Trusting their instincts, they pushed for more. Finally, the hospital consulted specialists at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. A CT scan was ordered.

That scan changed everything.

A massive tumor was found on Easton’s brain.

He was immediately transferred for emergency surgery—and he has remained there ever since.

As a foundation, we cannot fully put into words what it means to be able to reach families like the Delano’s in their darkest moments—especially when they least expect it. To step in when the weight feels unbearable. To offer even a small measure of relief in the middle of so much fear.

Moments like this remind us why we do what we do.

We believe these connections are not accidents. That somehow, the right stories find their way to us—and we find our way to them.

To our donors: thank you. Because of you, families like the Delano’s don’t have to face these moments completely alone.

And to Easton—your fight is seen. Your strength is felt. And you are surrounded by more love than words can hold.