RIP Aidan /Please Continue To Donate As Bills Are Still Coming In

[LilChief]

Many of you have read my previous threads regarding our friends little baby Aidan. Aidan was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma at the age of 10 months.
http://www.stjude.org/disease-summar...7_7426,00.html

He was on a priority 1 waiting list for a liver donor, which ideally would be another small child...but time was getting short and last March it was determined that while not the ideal situation, his mother Kimberly could donate part of her liver to him. Kimberly and Aidan underwent their surgeries in March of '05, and have been at the Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh since that time. By Thanksgiving, after months of chemo and several ups and downs, it looked like Aidan would be home for Christmas. On December 1st, he turned 2 years old, and his family celebrated what they thought was the light at the end of the long tunnel towards Aidan recovery.

Then on December 6th, Aidan took a sudden and serious turn for the worse. His organs were failing, and he was on life support. It didn't look like he would survive the next few days. But Aidan is a litle fighter, and with alot of extreme medical help and answered prayers, he was able to pull out of his critical state. Unfortunately, his new liver is irrepairably damaged, so now Adian is back on the donor list...this time as a priority 2 candidate because he is now "Cancer Free" from all the chemo and surgeries. He is back at square one in terms of his recovery, and now must wait for a more age appropriate match.

His mother Kimberly left her job before the first surgery to take care of him, and has not been home to Connecticut since early March. His father Kevin has to remain here and keep working to keep up insurance and pay the mounting bills. He drives to Pittsburgh (8 hrs each way) on weekends to be with them. As many bills as have accumulated over the past 10 months, they are looking at starting the whole process over again, with even more expenses.

I know a few of you had already sent donations to Aidan's fund in the past, but in light of these new challenges ahead of them, Jim and Deb kindly agreed to let me sticky this thread with information on Aidan's Fund, so that we might all be able to help this poor family in any way we can. If you'd like to donate, you can either send your donations directly to the fund, or maybe if people wanted to send them all to me and I could put them together in one envelope from NYYFANS.com. If you want to send it to me, just PM me and I'll give you my address. Either way, please send what you can and spread the word. There will also be a raffle at an upcoming fundraiser dinner here in CT and they are looking for some bigger ticket items so they can sell the raffle tickets for $10 each, so if anyone would like to donate any tickets or memorabilia for that, please PM me.

Here is the link to Aidan's webpage at CaringBridge, and it has the info for his fund, as well as his Mom's journal, a guestbook, and a few pictures.
http://www2.caringbridge.org/hi/aidan/index.htm

The address for his fund is:
Aidan Stewart Cancer Fund
c/o Farmington Savings Bank
117 East Street
Plainville, CT 06062

Sorry to be so long winded, but I want to make sure everyone knows the whole story so they can decide (hopefully) to help in any way they can. Every little bit helps!

Thanks in advance everyone!

[LilChief]

Barb, thanks for the PM and I will let you know when I recieve your check. Your donation will be greatly appreciated!

[Barb51850]

Barb, thanks for the PM and I will let you know when I recieve your check. Your donation will be greatly appreciated!

I'm happy to help, even in a small way. I was just looking at Aidan's web page, and the photo of his mom holding him after 4 weeks in intensive care made me cry.

[LilChief]

Thanks Paul...your donation is greatly appreciated...

[LilChief]

Thank you Rita! I'll include your donation in the NYYFANS envelope.

Please keep the donations coming if you are able folks! Thanks!

[LilChief]

Just a thought for those of you who want to send your donations in directly, how about putting "NYYFANS Member donation" or something in the memo field on your check...I just thought it would be nice if they knew they were part of the same group that is mailing their checks to me to make one group donation. I know in the past they have wondered where some donations have come from or how people heard about them. Just a suggestion...Thanks Again!

[LilChief]

I just received another email update from Stacie of Aidan's Angels- FYI



Good Morning Everyone,

Aidan has had a bad day. He has developed a fungal infection which has
taken him off the transplant list for at least 21 days. At the same time he
now is receiving the plasma exchange every day This is because tests
are showing that indeed part of the liver has died. The transfusionss will
continue for 2 months and will keep him stable. Hope is high that a
liver his size will become available once he is back on the transplant
list, but if not then perhaps a cadaveric liver will become necessary.

We continue with our prayers and keep hope alive ...everyday is a
miracle for Aidan as he struggles to overcome these issues. Our
love and prayers are so important and they surround Kimberly and
Aidan and give them strength.

The first meeting of Aidan's Angels was held last Sunday. We discussed
a number of ideas. Our next scheduled meeting is for
Friday, January 27th at 7pm at Dinallene's home in Wolcott.

Please bring any paperwork you have from last year--thank you list,
anything you have. Also, please bring in cans and jars for our
coin collection as we will be putting new pictures and update on them.

This year will be less work as we did so much and learned so much
last year. We are attempting to get non-profit status for Aidan, which
will really help in getting funds from grants and philanthropic foundations.

Please come to the meeting. We need you ideas and your help to make
this year more successful than last year.

Take care and God Bless all of you,
Stacie

[texasyankee]

Doing what I can to spread the word for Aidan.......

[LilChief]

Doing what I can to spread the word for Aidan.......

Thanks Paul...Hopefully we'll get a few more forumers involved and it will begin to snowball, but no matter what, every donation helps, and every person who is made aware of his situation is one more person who might want to get involved and help out.

[LilChief]

Just a thought/request...I realize that it's right after the holidays and most of us are low on funds, but even if you can't send a donation right now, if you could add the link to Aidan's website to your signature as Texasyankee and I have done, it might make people aware of the situation who wouldn't have come to this thread to read the story. That way you could still help by bringing attention to Aidan's fund without having to send any money. Thanks.

[texasyankee]

Would it be okay if we passed along Aidan's website to others via the internet & other message boards who we trust?

This child needs our help. The more the word gets out, the more help he can get.

[LilChief]

Would it be okay if we passed along Aidan's website to others via the internet & other message boards who we trust?

This child needs our help. The more the word gets out, the more help he can get.

ABSOLUTELY!!!
Please feel free to forward this to friends and family, or post it on other message boards that you are a member of...the more people who see it the better! I have already emailed it to everyone in my address book.
Thanks Again!

[Dave Visbeck]

Jenn and I will participate with a little donation to the envelope as soon as we get back to California on Thursday evening. Sooner if Jenn brought our checkbook along ... I'll have to go see.

Wishing the little guy lots of the Red Sox luck from 2004. If we could turn it around ... so will Aidan.

[LilChief]

Thanks Dave (Bless your little Red Sox heart!) and Thanks Jenn! Your contribution is greatly appreciated! Every dollar we can send them is one less dollar off that huge mountain of bills over their heads.

[krystl]

I added the link to my sig. It's the least I could do at the moment.
Thanks for keeping us posted! Also sending my prayers along as usual.

[LilChief]

I added the link to my sig. It's the least I could do at the moment.
Thanks for keeping us posted! Also sending my prayers along as usual.

Thanks so much! Even having the link in your sig will expose it to more people who might be able to donate, or pass it along themselves..your help is appreciated!

[LilChief]

I received some cautiously optomistic news on Aidan last night...his condition/infection is improving faster than they expected, and they may be able to put him back on the transplant list as soon as 72 hours, as opposed to the 21 days they had expected. Hopefully this way, if an approriate match liver becomes available, at least he will be stable enough and on the list to receive it.

Keep the prayers coming, hopefully they are working!
Thanks!

[texasyankee]

glad to hear some good news. he's a fighter!

[Barb51850]

Thanks for the update. This little guy is amazing.

With continued prayers for Aidan -
Barb

[LilChief]

Thanks for the update. This little guy is amazing.

With continued prayers for Aidan -
Barb

My husband and I were discussing all he's been through, and my husband wonders, what kind of long term effects is he going to have from all this chemo, and surgery, and medication? I think even once he gets his new liver and finally comes home, it will be a long time, if ever, before things will be 100% normal for the poor little man.
But then when you think about how strong he's been throught it all, he never stops surprising us all!
Thanks for caring guys...

[LilChief]

I'm happy to help, even in a small way. I was just looking at Aidan's web page, and the photo of his mom holding him after 4 weeks in intensive care made me cry.

Barb, I got your check in yesterday's mail. Thank you so much for your generous donation! I will probably wait till I get a few more in, and then forward them to his fund as a group effort.
Thanks Again!

[Dave Visbeck]

Barb, I got your check in yesterday's mail. Thank you so much for your generous donation! I will probably wait till I get a few more in, and then forward them to his fund as a group effort.
Thanks Again!

Give me a PM when you get ours. I want to know about the post mark and time it took to get there. Hope some guy named Mickey doesn't work for the Loveland Post Office in Ohio!

[LilChief]

Give me a PM when you get ours. I want to know about the post mark and time it took to get there. Hope some guy named Mickey doesn't work for the Loveland Post Office in Ohio!

I'll be sure to PM you Dave, but as far as the postmark and the time...we have been having HORRIBLE mail delivery times here lately, to the point that my mail carrier has complained to me about it!
"Mrs. M, you see this? We just got these out of date sales flyers, they changed where the mail is being sorted from Hartford to Wallingford, and everything is getting to us days later than it should"
But it will get here...just maybe on the back of a turtle!
Thanks again for sending it...don't forget to add the "Help Aidan" link to your sig if you can!

[LilChief]

I'll be sure to PM you Dave, but as far as the postmark and the time...we have been having HORRIBLE mail delivery times here lately, to the point that my mail carrier has complained to me about it!
"Mrs. M, you see this? We just got these out of date sales flyers, they changed where the mail is being sorted from Hartford to Wallingford, and everything is getting to us days later than it should"
But it will get here...just maybe on the back of a turtle!
Thanks again for sending it...don't forget to add the "Help Aidan" link to your sig if you can!

Still waiting for the mail to show up Dave...I'll let you know if it's there as soon as/if the mail ever gets here!

Just a reminder to those who can't donate anything right now...please add the "Help Aidan" link to your signature to help direct others who might be able to donate or help in some way. Thank you all so much!

[LilChief]

Dave, Paul, and Barbara...please accept my belated thanks for your kind messages in the guestbook on Aidan's webpage...I haven't read the guestbook in over a week and this was the first I'd seen your entries.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

[LilChief]

Dave, I got your check today! Thank you so much! I am going to wait for a few more that are on thier way to me, and hopefully others will follow. Once we have a nice group donation I'll submit tham all together.

Anyone up for trying to meet a challenge/goal?
So far (not counting the checks I haven't received yet) we have collected $120 for Aidan's Fund...I'd really like to get enough people involved to bring that up to at least $500...what do you say everyone?
I know not all "members" are active, but the site lists a membership of over 12,000!!!
If only 1% of that membership sent it just $5 we'd have $600! So far we have a total of 3 donations received and 2 more on the way. I'll keep updating the total every few days or so...Please don't think a small donation won't be enough to help, it all adds up!

Thank you all so much!

[Dave Visbeck]

Anyone up for trying to meet a challenge/goal?
So far (not counting the checks I haven't received yet) we have collected $120 for Aidan's Fund...I'd really like to get enough people involved to bring that up to at least $500...what do you say everyone?
I know not all "members" are active, but the site lists a membership of over 12,000!!!
If only 1% of that membership sent it just $5 we'd have $600! So far we have a total of 3 donations received and 2 more on the way. I'll keep updating the total every few days or so...Please don't think a small donation won't be enough to help, it all adds up!

Thank you all so much!

That doesn't look like a lofty goal to reach or hope for. Sorry I can't do more at this time.

[LilChief]

That doesn't look like a lofty goal to reach or hope for. Sorry I can't do more at this time.

Dave you've done your part, the donation that you and Jenn sent was very generous...we just need more people to get involved now.
Thanks again!

[yankeebot]

I am a little confused about the link. I want to donate online but can I target my donation to help Aidan and family directly or is it a general fund for Caring Bridge? Is it better to send you a check? Thanks.

Linda

[LilChief]

I am a little confused about the link. I want to donate online but can I target my donation to help Aidan and family directly or is it a general fund for Caring Bridge? Is it better to send you a check? Thanks.

Linda

Hi Linda,

Sorry for the confusion. There is a link to donate online to Caring Bridge, but to donate directly to Aidan, you'd have to either send it to the address for his fund:
Aidan Stewart Cancer Fund
c/o Farmington Savings Bank
117 East Street
Plainville, CT 06062

Or BETTER YET send it directly to me (I will PM you my address)

I have a few checks here already and am hoping to be able to collect as many as possible and submit them all together as a combined donation from NYYFANS. I'm trying to reach a goal of at least $500 but we're still a long ways off...so tell your friends and neighbors!

Look for my PM with my address...Thanks again for your kind donation.

[LilChief]

Thank you so much for your donation Sandy! I was suprised it got through the mail to me as fast as it did! I know a few others are still floating around in the US Postal service! Your help is really appreciated! I'll post a new running total after I get a few more donations, maybe the start of next week or so!

PLEASE- Keep them coming people! Thanks!

[Dave Visbeck]

http://www2.caringbridge.org/hi/aidan/98.jpg


Here is the little guy. God bless him. I have a hard time looking at him and just thinking how can it be?


*Shoot. On my preview it showed his picture. I must not know how to do it. Is it against the rules to get his picture here? I'm sorry if it is - I just didn't know.

[obsessedyankeefan]

Thank you so much for your donation Sandy! I was suprised it got through the mail to me as fast as it did! I know a few others are still floating around in the US Postal service! Your help is really appreciated! I'll post a new running total after I get a few more donations, maybe the start of next week or so!

PLEASE- Keep them coming people! Thanks!

Glad it got to you quickly. Sorry this was all I could do for now. Hopefully many more people can donate and it will add up.

Please keep those donations coming everyone! Aidan needs our help! Thanks!

[LilChief]

http://www2.caringbridge.org/hi/aidan/98.jpg


Here is the little guy. God bless him. I have a hard time looking at him and just thinking how can it be?


*Shoot. On my preview it showed his picture. I must not know how to do it. Is it against the rules to get his picture here? I'm sorry if it is - I just didn't know.

Dave, the picture may not have posted but the link works fine...I tried it and got the picture just fine...
I think what really shows what he's going through is to follow the link on his webpage to the pictures his Mom has posted and see the one of him with the Christmas hat on, and the one where she finally got to hold him after 4 weeks...those pictures speak 1,000 words.

[LilChief]

Glad it got to you quickly. Sorry this was all I could do for now. Hopefully many more people can donate and it will add up.

Please keep those donations coming everyone! Aidan needs our help! Thanks!

Thanks Again Sandy, and you're right, every donation helps no matter how large or small!

[LilChief]

Teri/GiambiRocks..just recieved both of your generous checks!

Thank you so much!

That was very kind of you to send both a personal donation and one from your company!

So far we have raised $230 total, and I believe there are 3 more donations in the mail.
If you've sent something and I haven't thanked you yet, please let me know, I may not have recieved it yet.

We have a ways to go to get to $500 but we are getting closer...so
PLEASE keep the donations coming!
Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!

[Barb51850]

Teri/GiambiRocks..just recieved both of your generous checks!

Thank you so much!

That was very kind of you to send both a personal donation and one from your company!

So far we have raised $230 total, and I believe there are 3 more donations in the mail.
If you've sent something and I haven't thanked you yet, please let me know, I may not have recieved it yet.

We have a ways to go to get to $500 but we are getting closer...so
PLEASE keep the donations coming!
Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!

Great news!! More...More

[LilChief]

Great news!! More...More

What she said!!!

[texasyankee]

I dont know about everyone, but as a father of a boy who is only 3 months younger than Aidan, this story strikes close to my heart.
I just want to challenge everyone here to do what they can to help this little boy have a chance at life. Whether it is a donation - whatever the amount, passing Aidan's story to others so they have an opportunity to help, and remembering him in your thoughts & prayers - whatever.
None of us know what life holds for us. But this kid needs a chance.

Just check out the link below. Look at his picture and that smile. Pass the word.

http://www2.caringbridge.org/hi/aidan/index.htm

[LilChief]

I just wanted to post a few excerpts from the lastest email I received from Stacie of Aidan's Angels:





(start quote) Hello Everyone,

I hope you all understand. Some of you are far away friends and some are near. You far away friends---I realize you can't come to meetings, but I hope you will use your voice, and send an email to all the people in your address list and ask them to participate in this cause for Aidan. His medical expenses have sky-rocketed since he was put into the ICU on December 6th. He is still there.
I have no current news of Aidan. He is still receiving plasma phoresis daily to keep him in good health for a transplant. Continue to pray for a matching donor.His window of opportunity is only about 2 months. +
Kimberly and Aidan have been in Pittsburgh for almost a year! The cost of maintaining their home away from home is not cheap. The Ronald McDonald House alone cost $600 a month. Aidan's medical expenses have soared. They expected to be home last June.
This years fund-raiser is so important. We have learned alot since our beginnings in Dinalene's front room. We are now working on getting non-profit eligibility for Aidan, which will help to open more doors for us. There is the Blood /Plasma Drive in Aidan's name, we are working on financing the purchase of the wrist bands we talked about last year. Deb Dawson, who along with her husband, Scott, gave us so very much help at the dinner last year, held her own fund raiser at her hair salon in Plainville--The Hair Spa--and sold Angels...she raised about $400 for the Aidan Stewart Cancer Fund.
Stephanie Milton, whose husband works with Kevin, has been talking up a storm on the NYYfans.com forum and has already started to collect from that group and, if we can get the non-profit status, she will attempt to get us something from the Yankees for our raffle. She also has a connection with a ScoutMaster (something I was thinking about in the Plainville area)..who has offered to have the scouts do something to raise funds so we need to discuss ideas for that.
So--alot going on. (end quote)

So as you all can see, things are not getting any easier any time soon. This poor family has already been through so much and this little man is such a fighter, but they have such a huge challenge ahead of them, and regardless of the outcome, the bills are not going away on their own. If you've been debating sending a donation, or thinking your donation wouldn't be enough to make a difference, PLEASE...now if the time to help...whatever you can send will help, it doesn't have to be alot...a few dollars sent in by many people adds up fast! How much do yo spend on your morning coffee? A newspaper? A fast food lunch? A cocktail after work?
I am trying to do whatever I can through every organization I know or belong to...I'm counting on all of you to help me out here..to help this poor Baby and his family. This has always been a very compassionate and giving group of people...Please help Aidan and his family!

[LilChief]

Thanks so much Tom (FredMuggs), I got your donation today! When the time comes for any fundraising dinners in the area I'll be sure to post them here, as I'd love for you and any others within driving distance to join us there and meet Aidan's family.

[shutout]

How's everything with Adain now???? Any improvement?

[LilChief]

How's everything with Adain now???? Any improvement?

Thanks for asking Michael, I wish I had some good news to report, but he's doing about the same...as far as I know.
He's getting the plasma trasfers daily to keep him stable until they find him a new liver. I guess they can keep that up for about 2 months, and then they have to find a liver. Keep praying they find him one well before the 2 months have passed.

[MT_Yankee]

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!
Hello, my name is Stacie Gannon, I am the Chairman of the Aidan Stewart
Cancer/Transplant FundRaisers. I had to come in and see for myself this
wonderful place called NYYfans.com. I have worked with alot of people this
past year raising funds to help defray the huge medical expenses, many that
are NOT covered by insurance. What you folks are doing here is just plain
NYYFAN-tastic !!!
A successful transplant is the beginning. Aidan
and his family will bear the brunt of many expenses over his lifetime. He will be
on anti-rejection drugs forever. Many of which are not covered by insurance.
Hopefully they will be able to work something out with the pharmaceutical companies. You can't imagine how much medicine he has to take (and I know how hard it was for me to get my little ones to take medicine when they had a cough or cold!!) Kimberly and Kevin are miracle workers when it comes to all the meds they have to get
into Aidan. And Aidan is just a little sweetheart!! The Chemo was very hard on his
little body. The chemo he received was very strong. In a lifetime an adult can only
have four doses. Aidan had all four. Some of the chemo has left him with some hearing difficulties, which was explained to his parents, and some could have had
severe affects to his heart. It is the age old axiom---damned if you do and damned if you don't. But, there a many successful liver transplant children growing up and leading happy, successful lives. I am just continually amazed at the grace and giving of the American People. If every person gave $1.00...imagine!! You are all doing more than I could ever have imagined. I will continue to update LilChief so she can pass it on to all of you. Remember to "donate life" by being a organ donor if something should happen to you and make sure you tell folks who know you that you want to be an organ donor. If people don't know, your gift may go unused.
Take care and thank you!

[obsessedyankeefan]

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!
Hello, my name is Stacie Gannon, I am the Chairman of the Aidan Stewart
Cancer/Transplant FundRaisers. I had to come in and see for myself this
wonderful place called NYYfans.com. I have worked with alot of people this
past year raising funds to help defray the huge medical expenses, many that
are NOT covered by insurance. What you folks are doing here is just plain
NYYFAN-tastic !!!
A successful transplant is the beginning. Aidan
and his family will bear the brunt of many expenses over his lifetime. He will be
on anti-rejection drugs forever. Many of which are not covered by insurance.
Hopefully they will be able to work something out with the pharmaceutical companies. You can't imagine how much medicine he has to take (and I know how hard it was for me to get my little ones to take medicine when they had a cough or cold!!) Kimberly and Kevin are miracle workers when it comes to all the meds they have to get
into Aidan. And Aidan is just a little sweetheart!! The Chemo was very hard on his
little body. The chemo he received was very strong. In a lifetime an adult can only
have four doses. Aidan had all four. Some of the chemo has left him with some hearing difficulties, which was explained to his parents, and some could have had
severe affects to his heart. It is the age old axiom---damned if you do and damned if you don't. But, there a many successful liver transplant children growing up and leading happy, successful lives. I am just continually amazed at the grace and giving of the American People. If every person gave $1.00...imagine!! You are all doing more than I could ever have imagined. I will continue to update LilChief so she can pass it on to all of you. Remember to "donate life" by being a organ donor if something should happen to you and make sure you tell folks who know you that you want to be an organ donor. If people don't know, your gift may go unused.
Take care and thank you!

Welcome Stacie!

Please tell Kimberly and Kevin that they have all the support of the NYYFans community and they and Aidan are in our thoughts and prayers. Aidan is such a resilient guy, I have every hope that he will pull through this well. Take care.

Please help Aidan everyone! Every bit helps, no matter big or small the donation!

[LilChief]

Just a quick update..the NYYFANS donation to the Aidan Stewart Cancer Fund is up to $380...

We getting closer to our goal of $500...keep it coming everyone!
Thanks a million to those who have already donated!

[Barb51850]

Just a quick update..the NYYFANS donation to the Aidan Stewart Cancer Fund is up to $380...

We getting closer to our goal of $500...keep it coming everyone!
Thanks a million to those who have already donated!

That's fantastic!!

[Dave Visbeck]

Steph. Hope you don't mind that I stole a few quotes from your thread and added them in the (Who am I?) thread in the History, Trivia & Memorabilia section here. I needed some to tie-in with the Who am I? #42.

[Dave Visbeck]

Steph. Hope you don't mind that I stole a few quotes from your thread and added them in the (Who am I?) thread in the History, Trivia & Memorabilia section here. I needed some to tie-in with the Who am I? #42.

And needed them also for the answer to that question.

[LilChief]

And needed them also for the answer to that question.

No problem Dave! Thanks for all your help!