STAFFORD – Brody Peak, of Manahawkin, was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia on June 19. On June 27, his aunt started a GoFundMe to help raise money to cover his medical bills. As of August 16, Brody’s family had raised $54,740 of their $75,000 goal to help fund his medical expenses.
In just one month, the site has raised over two-thirds of their goal by the collective effort of 520 individuals. The money will help his parents, Audrey and Chris Peak, pay for travel, lodging, food, and other bills as they battle Brody’s diagnosis.
Brody has been receiving various treatments at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he has been staying for a majority of the past month, according to his aunt, Caitlin Edore.
The GoFundMe page states that Brody has already had a bone marrow biopsy, spinal tap procedure, multiple blood transfusions, and will undergo four rounds of chemotherapy at CHOP. “As you can imagine, the next six to nine months will be unimaginably difficult for Brody and his family,” it stated.
Brody also has a four-month-old brother who cannot be at the hospital with the family, which makes the situation even more difficult.
“As of now, he has completed his first round of chemotherapy. He will be at CHOP for the next 5 to 8 months to undergo at least 3 more rounds of chemotherapy. He will also need a bone marrow transplant,” said Edore.
During his first round of chemotherapy, Brody stayed at CHOP. Following this, he was placed in isolation due to a low absolute neutrophil count, said Edore. This means he is at a high risk for infection.
When his count reached an acceptable number, Brody was able to return home for about a week. However, he remains at a high risk for infection. On July 30, Brody received a bone marrow biopsy, which will tell the family how he is responding to his treatments.
Brody and his family still have a long road ahead of them, but they are thankful for the help.
“We are really grateful for the response from the community. We have had many people organize fundraisers to support my sister and her family,” said Edore.
Local establishments have even been pitching in, like the Brant Beach Yacht Club, which recently held an event for their members to raise money. A local Zumba instructor group also held a Zumba fundraiser on July 29.
“We have also learned about a fishing tournament, wine tasting and a few other fundraisers that are being held for Brody,” she added.
Since starting the fundraiser, Edore noted that the response has been overwhelming. The family has only done outreach so far as to share the GoFundMe on social media. With others lending a hand, Edore believes they will be able to pay for his medical needs.
“We will continue fundraising until we meet our goal,” she said.
The fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com/help-brody039s-battle-with-leukemia.
