We have been able to establish a trust funds for Ty Nelson, Jackson Katterhagen, Brandon Sexton, Eliza Beth, Gabe Boylen, Lillian Koschak, Colton Freeman, Ashley Rhodes, Jack and Kenze Ryan, and Raelynn Taggart. to assist in the on going costs of battling life threatening diseases and we have made donations to Make-A-Wish® Wisconsin and the MACC Fund. Ty Nelson was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leu
kemia in February of 2008 at the age of 3. Ty had a very difficult first couple months on treatment. Ty will was in treatment for his leukemia until April of 2011. He took different types of oral chemotherapy drugs daily, weekly and monthly. Ty went to Children's Hospital of WI once a month for i.v. chemo as well as spinal chemo every three months. Ty is a happy and relatively healthy boy considering the fact that his immune system has been compromised so many times. Ty continues to be so sweet and brave through it all. His family is so proud of him and his sisters for all that they have had to endure. On April 15th, 2011 Ty Nelson rang the bell at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee signaling his final leukemia treatment. Ty will attend UW Madison this fall. Ryan Luxem was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2006 at the age of 6. He received over two years of chemo and radiation, but relapsed in January, 2009 and again in February, 2010 leading to two separate bone marrow transplants. During his treatments he endured intensive chemotherapy, radiation to his entire body, lengthy hospitalizations, numerous blood transfusions, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, painful shots and many other difficult procedures. Ryan relapsed yet again in November, 2010. On Wednesday December 29th, 2010 after four and a half years of battling Leukemia Ryan Luxem completed his journey on earth. Following the 2011 outing we were able to make donations to Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and MACC fund as a memorial to Ryan. Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and MACC fund were two organizations that Ryan held near and dear to his heart. Jackson Katterhagen’s battle with cancer started with a simple cough on a Monday. After additional symptoms an ultrasound was scheduled and Jackson went to the emergency room where a body scan was performed. It was then that the doctors found a 2” by 2” tumor in Jackson’s stomach! Jackson’s journey was long with many tests and sleepless nights; he was very tired, hurt, and scared. On Friday January 13th 2012 Jackson was given his official diagnoses of stage 4 Neuroblastoma. He started his chemo at the end of January 2012. On November 30th, 2012 Jackson got great news from his doctors. His scans came back clear, no live cancer cells in his body. That was not the end of Jackson’s battle though. Jackson still has annual check ups. Jackson is currently enjoying life with his mother father and little brother and has been in remission for 10 years and counting. On January 23rd 2013 Brandon Sexton Jr. was admitted to Children's Hospital for a routine tonsillectomy, within hours his life was changed for ever. An oncology doctor informed his family Brandon has cancer. It was after many tests that it was determine Brandon had Burkitt's lymphoma. Brandon endured many rounds of chemo and some very bad chemo side effects. Through all of the treatment Brandon was brave and fought very hard. On April 16, 2013 Brandon's cancer was in remission! Although the cancer was in remission there were still many visits to the MACC fund and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for continued treatment. Brandon has been medically cleared of all cancer for 9 years. On April 1, 2014 the Eliza Beth’s World came to a grinding halt. After being in the hospital with no answers for over a week, a CT scan revealed an inoperable tumor the size of a grapefruit in Izza's upper body cavity. Eliza was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma, and was high risk due to her age and the quickness of this cancer. Eliza went through 6 different rounds of chemotherapy, followed by radiation and her own bone marrow transplant. Izza completed her last round of chemo in early 2015 and was able to enjoy the final weeks of school as a kindergartener. In May of 2015 Izza received her Wish to have a new custom swing set in her back yard. In November of 2016 Izza’s cancer showed up again. After a long and hard fought battle Izza passed into the arms of Jesus on July 30th, 2019
Gabriel Arnold Boylen was born on 12/7/11 with a primary diagnosis of Double Outlet Right Ventricle, Aortic Arch Atresia, Aortic Arch Hypoplasia, Mal-rotation, Heterotaxy, Asplenia and a large VSD. Short version is Gabe had a very serious heart condition. He was whisked away immediately to PICU at CHW, the staff was amazing in the way that they cared for Gabe the first nine days of his life. Before Gabe turned 4 he had undergone 6 different open heart surgeries, eventually he would receive a pacemaker. On July 2nd of 2012 Ryan and Sarah were finally able to make their adoption of Gabe official. Gabe’s pacemaker will need to be replaced approximately every 6 years. Currently Gabe is ready to start 4th grade. Since birth, Lillian had always had intestinal issues. With help from our pediatrician we were able to manage her issue through medication, but things changed as she grew. On her last day of school, in 2015, Lillian was not herself and became very sick. After meeting with her pediatrician we were immediately referred to Children's hospitals GI team. Four days later Lillian was admitted for a clean-out and 30 days later we were back at Children’s for another clean-out. In October Lillian had an anorectal manometry study done, which again gave us no answers. In December of 2015 Lillian's condition had continued to decline and we were admitted again for a clean-out and Lillian was sent home with an NG tube and a nightly routine of medication via NG tube. Lillian is currently still under treatment and observation from the staff at Children’s Hospital. When her pain is manageable she can be found enjoying 10th grade in her school. Colton's journey with Cystic Fibrosis began before he was even born. Upon delivery, Colton was dehydrated and very ill. And now the real fight began. From that day on his life consisted of breathing treatments twice a day along with taking medicine to help him digest his food properly. Colton’s "normal" life consists of the following; daily weight checks, twice a day breathing treatments, lots of doctor appointments, lots of medications....but best of all....lots of smiles!!! Through everything Colton endured his first year of life, he was a smiley, happy baby. Throughout the next few years he found himself back in the hospital multiple times. He currently spends over an hour a day doing his breathing treatments and is on 12 different medications....just to be able to breathe and digest his foods properly. Through it all, Colton has always found a way to smile and make those around him smile. He makes an impact everywhere we go. And most of all...he has FOUGHT!!! Colton has shown many people about living your life to the fullest. About being the best version of yourself. He doesn't let CF define who he is and doesn't let it slow him down. He is an active 14 year old who enjoys soccer, swimming, riding his 4 wheeler, fishing, and doing everything boys do! Ashley, is a fun-loving girl from Muskego. She’s a gymnast, loves crafts, and swims like a fish! In June 2016 she was diagnosed with T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma cancer. She had no symptoms, except a sore shoulder, when results of a biopsy revealed this devastating news on June 14th 2016. Since then, Ashley has had surgery to biopsy a lymph node in her neck and started a rigorous chemotherapy regime. Her older sister, Paige, and her Mom and Dad have taken on the battle by her side. She will need to endure 2 1/2 years of treatments and this will bring many medical expenses along the way. Ashley is currently loving life, she enjoys her Cheer team along with all the things that go along with being a 14 year of girl!! Some 16 months after his initial diagnosis Jack was able to get his cell transplant on Jun 25 2020. Jack has fought a tough battle just to get to the transplant stage of his treatment, but his is an amazing warrior. Along the way Jack had to fight off numerous infections and keep his body as healthy as possibly (except for the HLH). He was a pillar of support for his sister Kenz as she ended up receiving her transplant back in January 2020. The bond between Jack and Kenz is amazing as they have had to share so much more than just being brother and sister as they battle HLH together. Currently Jack and Kenz are preparing to go back to school in the fall. They continue to be amazing children and are looking forward to getting back to real school and playing with friends. Raelynn was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of 4. After arriving at Children’s, they began blood work and gave Raelynn a blood and platelet transfusion. For the next few months Raelynn was treated with both outpatient and in patient chemo. Raelynn also endured a 22 day stay in the MACC Fund Hot Unit at Children’s. Raelynn has received 2 rounds clinical trials which have given her a break from the harsh chemo treatments and seen positive results. Raelynn is now in maintenance and has only been hospitalized a few times over the past year to monitor some of the chemo and some fevers. Raelynn has had her ups and downs through treatment but is still the same happy girl she's always been. She hasn’t lived the life of a normal child, but she sure doesn't let it stop her. This fall she will enter 2nd grade. Each of these cases of major childhood illness tell a different story for each family, yet they all have something in common. All of these cases have endured traumatic experiences for their families. Make-A-Wish Wisconsin helps families during these difficult times by providing an opportunity to see happiness in their children once again. All of the children have received or are currently in process of receiving a wish from Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. Because of the powerful impact the granted wishes have on the affected families Tee it up fore Ty is committed to supporting Make-A-Wish Wisconsin with this year’s event and future Tee it up fore Ty events. Thank you for your support.
