FINN MINARD

#FINNMICHAELSTRONG

DREAM TRIP TO DISNEYLAND

$563.85 of $5,000

Finn is a 4-year-old from Hastings, MN. Finn is very social and pleasant outdoors or when he feels safe. He’ll approach anyone and often make friends at the park. Finn’s journey started with very fussy behavior and lots of desperate screaming during the night. There were small signs and symptoms including swollen lymph nodes, a scrape on his nose that was just fountaining blood, and more & more bruises. The family didn’t know at the time but he had very few platelets, and so his blood couldn’t clot.

One day, the daycare sent him home for illness and required a doctor’s note to return. Finn was taken to the doctor for a well-child check-up to get the bumps behind his ears checked out. The doctor said they were just mosquito bites. Weeks later, the daycare sent him home again for swelling on his face. Finn was taken directly to the doctor. They took one look at him and told the family to get on the highway and go directly to the emergency department at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. At the hospital, Finn was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

2 years later, his cancer came back while he was still in treatment. He underwent very intense chemo and total body radiation—twice a day for a week— to prepare for his Fall 2022 bone marrow transplant. He lived in the hospital for months. He’s now home and starting to heal and recover. He hopes to attend preschool someday. Throughout treatment, we’d encourage him to hold still for needles, meds, and scary procedures. We always encouraged him that it will get better. He will grow big and strong & turn 5 someday! It would be so meaningful to celebrate that milestone with a special dream trip. We now know that each birthday is not guaranteed. There’s a 50% chance that he’ll be alive 2 years post-transplant.

We are on a mission to raise $5,000 to send Finn and his family on a dream trip to Disneyland where they can make amazing memories together!