Boy battling cancer receives hundreds of birthday cards from across the nation
July 1, 2019 by FarahR
There's nothing better than celebrating your birthday knowing that people remembered you on your special day – and that is exactly what a boy with Down syndrome experienced during his birthday last June 14.
A few days before his third birthday, Freddie Taylor's mother, Joanne Taylor, had requested for some cards for his son who is battling cancer.
Joanne posted about it on the Team Freddie Facebook page and to her surprise, they did not only receive hundreds of cards, but they also got emails, calls, and gifts from people all over the country! Plus, little Freddie got to sleep on his own bed for the first time in weeks.
"Freddie is loving all these presents and cards!!" Joanne wrote on the Facebook page she created for his son.
Freddie was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January. Reportedly, children with Down syndrome are at a higher risk of developing this type of cancer.
"We got a call that they found some abnormal cells. We had to come to the ER and he was admitted right away," said Joanne.
Freddie is now completing his fourth round of chemotherapy to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is preparing for his fifth. Ever since he was diagnosed, the toddler has been spending most of his days in the MUSC Children's Hospital in Charleston. His treatment is expected to last for at least two more years, and he needs to be cancer-free for five years before he is considered to be in remission.
Doctors told the family that Freddie's white blood cell count has improved since his last treatment, which also meant that he could celebrate his birthday at home.
But the celebration came a bit early for this boy with Down syndrome, as the hospital was flooded with cards and gifts just for him!
Joanne is overwhelmed by the amazing response that her simple request got – it was nothing like she ever imagined.
"Teachers are having their classes make cards for him. There was a lady from Hawaii who messaged me and said, 'Aloha, our kids want to make him a card.' I think that's so cool," Joanne said in an interview with a hospital public relations staff.
Stories like this make us believe that the good will always trump the bad, no matter how much negativity we see around us. Strangers – people who haven't even met Freddie – took the time to do something to cheer up this boy with Down syndrome. And to us, that's proof enough that love is still the prevailing force in this world.
Even though Freddie's birthday is over, you can still send him a card to brighten his day.
You can mail them to: Pack & Mail, Attn: Team Freddie, 1608 Camp Road, Charleston, South Carolina 29412.
People have been asking the family how they be of help or donate something. Please proceed to their Facebook page and you will find all the information you need to help this beautiful family. Go HERE.