#AWESOMEAUTUMN

GOAL REACHED!

Autumn is a 4 year old from Newbury Park, CA and we’re on a mission to raise
$5,000 to send Autumn and
her family on a dream trip to
Disney World and Give Kids the World where they can make amazing memories together OUTSIDE of the hospital.

Our beautiful daughter Autumn Joy is 4 years old from Newbury Park, CA. She is our hero and our warrior and her strength and positivity is an inspiration to everyone who gets to know her.

Prior to her diagnosis, Autumn loved being with her friends, family and playing with her little brother Connor. She loved going to the park, to the beach and to the desert. She just loved being on the move and experiencing new and exciting things the world has to offer. She was never shy and she loved talking to everybody, kids and adults alike. Her spirit and sense of adventure still hasn’t waned and she is looking forward to getting back out and traveling again.

Back in August of 2021 we started noticing bruises on Autumn that wouldn’t go away. Being 3 years old at the time, we didn’t think much of it as kids are always falling and getting bumps and bruises. Then she started complaining of being tired faster and more often. Then she started complaining of pain in her legs and joints. Finally she started to complain of pain in her ear and we decided it was time to see her pediatrician. He diagnosed her with an ear infection, but that soon turned out to be the least of her problems. The doctor looked at her bruising and suggested blood work suspecting that she might have leukemia. August 28th 2021, Autumn Joy was diagnosed with High Risk B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Getting the news of Autumns leukemia was devastating. At first, it was shock and disbelief. But once we came to grips with the battle that lay ahead, we knew that in order for Autumn to triumph, positivity was going to have to be the name of the game. In the first couple weeks, I don’t think Autumn fully grasped the gravity of the situation. Even with all the hospital stays and visits, pokes, chemotherapy and IV’s, her spirit and smile never faded. Still to this day, she keeps smiling and loving every minute. It is her positive attitude that keeps the rest of the family going and puts everything in perspective. Autumn is truly a gift and every moment with her is cherished.

Autumn is now in the maintenance stage of her treatment. She is starting to see friends again as her blood levels have risen to safe numbers. She is so excited to do some camping this summer as well as trips to the beach and hopefully start pre school again in September.

During this battle, our family has been so touched and blessed by the love and generosity of so many people who have never even met us. It has been so overwhelming in a good way to see how many people care about our beautiful little girl. We could never say thank you enough to everybody who has donated their time and their money to pull our daughter through what will be the most difficult battle of her life. This dream of going to Disney World would be the best surprise we could possible give Autumn after everything she has had to endure and to be able to make these memories together as a family will be priceless. Our hope for everybody out there who we meet along the way is that you would love, cherish and appreciate every single moment you have with your children. We pray that nobody else would ever receive the news that we did, but in the unfortunate reality of life, we want to pass on the positivity and let everybody know that you don’t need to fight this fight alone.

- Michelle and Adam Chitiea