Team Madisyn
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Madisyn’s Story
Madisyn Elizabeth Ledder was born April 9th, 2006. Besides a short period of seizures when she was very young, Madisyn was growing to be a healthy and overall amazing young lady.
In June of 2020, Madisyn started to tell us about some pain she was having above her left knee. Over the next two months, the pain continued to move up her left side, to her thigh, up to her hip, and then to her lower back. Madisyn always seemed to have a high tolerance to pain and we think it was overlooked when we started seeing doctors. Her pediatrician referred us to The Centers for Advanced Orthopedics. On June 23rd, she had an X-ray done on her hip and they determined everything looked normal. They also did a physical exam and moved her leg around in different positions to see if they could find the cause. We were dismissed and told if the pain continued call them back.
She continued to have pain on that left side for two months and complained that on a pain scale, hers was a 9/10. We needed answers for her and told her that we would see as many doctors as we needed to until they could give us a reason for why she was having this pain. Motrin and Tylenol did little to help relieve the pain. We tried icy hot, muscle sprays, cold packs and heat pads with little relief. We then started to wonder, “can this be something that we experienced in our family’s medical history?” Angie made an appointment with the Rheumatologist to rule out Lupus, MS, Fibromyalgia and Arthritis which all run in the family.
We returned back to the Orthopedic doctor because she started to develop a limp that we noticed during our daily family walks. Her pain continued to be a 9/10 and the doctor asked if she did anything that could have caused the pain? We continued to tell the doctor she hadn’t done much for the past 5 months because of Covid-19. She mainly sat on the couch most days and she hadn’t played soccer. We would go for little walks daily to get outside for exercise. We gave physical therapy a chance and took her to a shoe store that specializes in finding the best sneaker to support her foot to see if that would help.
Her pain continued and we were able to get in with the Rheumatologist for an exam and bloodwork. We also went back to the orthopedic doctor for the third time. We were very frustrated when they did the same physical exam that they previously did on our prior visits. The doctor was ready to send us home yet again with no answers and without ordering any other tests. Angie demanded other tests be done to determine the cause of her pain. She said “just because she doesn’t look like she is in pain, doesn’t mean that she is exaggerating the pain! I know my child! “ Before they left the office, Angie demanded an MRI. She pleaded with the insurance to cover it, and they finally agreed. Madisyn went in on a Friday for an MRI, and we got a call back two hours later. The nurse said they saw a tumor 7-8cm in her pelvic bone! She informed us that they wanted Madisyn to come back to do a double MRI with contrast, and also look at her abdomen. She gave us her own personal number and said we could call her anytime with questions. She also referred us to an Oncologist in Baltimore and set up an appointment the next Monday. Jeff took Madisyn to her appointment as Angie opened up her home daycare for the first time, the same day. The Oncologist ordered more tests, CT scan, biopsy of the tumor, and bone marrow biopsy later that week. It took another week to get all the test results. On Wednesday, September 2nd, we had a video conference call with the Oncologist. He finally told us the news, that our 14 year old daughter, Madisyn, had a rare form of childhood cancer, called Ewing’s Sarcoma.
She has just finished her first month of chemotherapy. Our family travels to all of her doctor’s appointments in Baltimore at least twice a week and sometimes more. She has chemotherapy treatments 3 times a month and hospital stays from 3-5 days. We travel back and forth from appointments to home (an hour there and an hour back). We are able to stay at the Hackerman-Patz House as a family right across the street from the hospital when she has to stay in the hospital for days. This is basically a hotel room with a bathroom, full size fridge, sink, microwave and two beds. Because of the pandemic, they sometimes only allow one parent to stay with the child, and siblings are not allowed to visit. Jeff and Angie alternate nights with Madisyn at the hospital and the room with the boys during the days and nights.
As treatment moves forward for the next 9-12 months, our family is hoping to rent a house that allows our whole family, which includes two dogs, to be together. It will relieve a lot of stress to be closer to the hospital in Baltimore for appointments and medical emergencies. A lot of friends and family have wondered how they can help. We are setting up a Go Fund Me page to help with doctor bills, housing funds, gas money and anything else we will need to help make the transitions a little easier for our family during this time for the next year. Thank you family and friends for all your support! Prayers and positive thoughts are always appreciated!
The Ledder Family-
Jeff, Angie, Owen, Madisyn and Zachary.
Team Madisyn
Madisyn Elizabeth Ledder was born April 9th, 2006. Besides a short period of seizures when she was very young, Madisyn was growing to be a healthy and overall amazing young lady.
In June of 2020, Madisyn started to tell us about some pain she was having above her left knee. Over the next two months, the pain continued to move up her left side, to her thigh, up to her hip, and then to her lower back. Madisyn always seemed to have a high tolerance to pain and we think it was overlooked when we started seeing doctors. Her pediatrician referred us to The Centers for Advanced Orthopedics. On June 23rd, she had an X-ray done on her hip and they determined everything looked normal. They also did a physical exam and moved her leg around in different positions to see if they could find the cause. We were dismissed and told if the pain continued call them back.
She continued to have pain on that left side for two months and complained that on a pain scale, hers was a 9/10. We needed answers for her and told her that we would see as many doctors as we needed to until they could give us a reason for why she was having this pain. Motrin and Tylenol did little to help relieve the pain. We tried icy hot, muscle sprays, cold packs and heat pads with little relief. We then started to wonder, “can this be something that we experienced in our family’s medical history?” Angie made an appointment with the Rheumatologist to rule out Lupus, MS, Fibromyalgia and Arthritis which all run in the family.
We returned back to the Orthopedic doctor because she started to develop a limp that we noticed during our daily family walks. Her pain continued to be a 9/10 and the doctor asked if she did anything that could have caused the pain? We continued to tell the doctor she hadn’t done much for the past 5 months because of Covid-19. She mainly sat on the couch most days and she hadn’t played soccer. We would go for little walks daily to get outside for exercise. We gave physical therapy a chance and took her to a shoe store that specializes in finding the best sneaker to support her foot to see if that would help.
Her pain continued and we were able to get in with the Rheumatologist for an exam and bloodwork. We also went back to the orthopedic doctor for the third time. We were very frustrated when they did the same physical exam that they previously did on our prior visits. The doctor was ready to send us home yet again with no answers and without ordering any other tests. Angie demanded other tests be done to determine the cause of her pain. She said “just because she doesn’t look like she is in pain, doesn’t mean that she is exaggerating the pain! I know my child! “ Before they left the office, Angie demanded an MRI. She pleaded with the insurance to cover it, and they finally agreed. Madisyn went in on a Friday for an MRI, and we got a call back two hours later. The nurse said they saw a tumor 7-8cm in her pelvic bone! She informed us that they wanted Madisyn to come back to do a double MRI with contrast, and also look at her abdomen. She gave us her own personal number and said we could call her anytime with questions. She also referred us to an Oncologist in Baltimore and set up an appointment the next Monday. Jeff took Madisyn to her appointment as Angie opened up her home daycare for the first time, the same day. The Oncologist ordered more tests, CT scan, biopsy of the tumor, and bone marrow biopsy later that week. It took another week to get all the test results. On Wednesday, September 2nd, we had a video conference call with the Oncologist. He finally told us the news, that our 14 year old daughter, Madisyn, had a rare form of childhood cancer, called Ewing’s Sarcoma.
She has just finished her first month of chemotherapy. Our family travels to all of her doctor’s appointments in Baltimore at least twice a week and sometimes more. She has chemotherapy treatments 3 times a month and hospital stays from 3-5 days. We travel back and forth from appointments to home (an hour there and an hour back). We are able to stay at the Hackerman-Patz House as a family right across the street from the hospital when she has to stay in the hospital for days. This is basically a hotel room with a bathroom, full size fridge, sink, microwave and two beds. Because of the pandemic, they sometimes only allow one parent to stay with the child, and siblings are not allowed to visit. Jeff and Angie alternate nights with Madisyn at the hospital and the room with the boys during the days and nights.
As treatment moves forward for the next 9-12 months, our family is hoping to rent a house that allows our whole family, which includes two dogs, to be together. It will relieve a lot of stress to be closer to the hospital in Baltimore for appointments and medical emergencies. A lot of friends and family have wondered how they can help. We are setting up a Go Fund Me page to help with doctor bills, housing funds, gas money and anything else we will need to help make the transitions a little easier for our family during this time for the next year. Thank you family and friends for all your support! Prayers and positive thoughts are always appreciated!
The Ledder Family-
Jeff, Angie, Owen, Madisyn and Zachary.
Team Madisyn
Organizer and beneficiary
Melissa Fullmer
Organizer
Horseheads, NY
Angela Ledder
Beneficiary
