Overwhelming support from the Sundre community has left some worried parents speechless.
Jodi Overguard and Adrian Smith found out only a month ago that their five-month-old son Dante has a rare disease called neuroblastoma.
The community has already raised at least $26,000 to assist them with financial costs.
Tickets to a community-driven silent and live auction held on Saturday at the community centre were sold out. All of the items put up for auction were donated. And although Overguard is unsure of the total amount raised, she said $26,000 was raised from the live auction.
As well, Neighbours Helping Neighbours – an online auction site to assist people who are in need in the community – has been donating proceeds to Dante. Overguard said they have also received private donations, along with overwhelming support and prayers from people in the community.
“He has neuroblastoma. It's a rare childhood disease. It's in his liver and they don't know where the original tumour is – he has about 10 small ones,” explained Overguard.
“It wasn't caused by anything. It just happened when I was making him.”
In most cases, the disease normally starts in the adrenal gland and spreads to other areas, but there is no sign of that being the case for Dante, who is her first child.
“He doesn't have it anywhere except for his liver, so that's good because often it can get in the bone marrow,” she said.
It's considered intermediate, so he doesn't have to go through high-risk chemotherapy, which she is grateful for. He is undergoing his second treatment tomorrow.
“But overall he has been doing really good with chemo. He's being pretty happy still and hasn't had too many side effects so far.”
She was pleased with the turnout at the auction and said the money donated will help with travelling expenses, as well as treatments and medicine for Dante.
Tom Jackson from Kodiak BBQ spearheaded the idea of hosting the auction and he had a committee helping him out.
Overguard said the amount of support from the community has been “amazing”.
“It definitely makes this journey a little easier to walk for sure,” she said. “Thank you to everyone in the community. It's really been very kind and I'm speechless to all the help. It's been wonderful.”
