Hello. My name is Nicole Anderson, and I’m the Abendroth boys’, Ben & Caleb, incredibly lucky nurse and caretaker. If you know the Abendroths, you know the recent past has been all but easy. In 2024, Ryan and Nicole were expecting three beautiful babies. Nicole went into preterm labor and, sadly, Ryan and Nicole lost their angel baby, Jack. Ben and Caleb, babies “B” and “C” of the trio, were born prematurely at 24 weeks. Ben and Caleb spent much of their first year of life in the NICU, learning to do everyday tasks, such as eating and breathing, before coming home. In June 2024, Ben's physicians deemed him physically able to undergo a procedure to remove the tracheostomy he had since birth. Tracheostomies require 24/7 monitoring, frequent suction and other routine maintenance to properly function. A tracheostomy-removal procedure is an intricate procedure. Ben's doctor grafted cartilage from his ribs to reconstruct a defect in his trachea. As part of Ben's recovery, he was medically paralyzed and sedated for a week. Despite the difficult nature of the procedure and subsequent recovery, the prospect of Ben breathing on his own was finally on the horizon. On Monday, June 26th, during a post-operation scan, Ben's doctors found a large mass on his liver. Ben's doctors diagnosed him with stage 3 Hepatoblastoma, a form of liver cancer. Ben's tumor is currently too large to operate. As a result, Ben has started extremely aggressive doses of chemotherapy in an effort to shrink the tumor to enable a liver resection procedure. The incredibly rapid turn of events and aggressive treatment plan has drained Ben's energy and has left him immunosuppressed. Ben is currently hospitalized with sepsis. Ben is also having difficulty eating as the tumor presses on his stomach, making eating and drinking nearly impossible. Ben's physicians are working diligently to ensure he receives proper nutrition as his treatment continues. Despite their own life journey, the Abendroths are the first to lend a hand in good times, as well as difficult times. Simply put, the Abendroths are the definition of selfless. I’m soliciting donations for the Abendroths to help contribute towards their meals, transportation and donations toward long-term housing at the Ronald McDonald House, as they travel to and from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa for Ben’s treatment. Please consider donating to this incredible family as you are able. No amount is too little. Thank you, Nicole Anderson
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