DODEA family in Japan starts fundraiser for son’s cancer treatment

 YOKOTA AIR Foundation, Japan — Sean Pine enjoys to perform video clip games on his Nintendo Change and discuss with his mates on the web.

But the 10 12 months-outdated has invested the previous three months in a hospital bed at Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Medical Centre battling phase four neuroblastoma and is heading to San Diego for further remedy. His mom and father are educators with the Division of Protection Education and learning Action at Yokota.

Gianna Duarte, 20, Sean’s sister, organized a marketing campaign on GoFundMe to defray some of the costs of therapy, foodstuff and transportation as the only son out of four young children proceeds his ongoing struggle with cancer. Neuroblastoma is a most cancers of the nervous system that mostly impacts children age 5 and below, according to the Mayo Clinic web site.

“I am hoping to get some support for my mother and father to assistance ease some of the fiscal burden so they can get some reduction,” Gianna wrote on the GoFundMe web site, “Assist Sean and our Relatives.”

Considering that Friday, the marketing campaign has lifted $8,210 of the $20,000 goal.

Sean was diagnosed at age 2, Sean’s father, Michael Pine, 53, a arithmetic expert and native of San Diego, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

“It’s one particular of the deadliest childhood cancers,” he reported. “But the promising issue is, he continues to conquer the odds.” 

Sean is on his fifth bout of neuroblastoma and his kidneys are failing, his father claimed. When Japanese medical practitioners informed the spouse and children they could do nothing at all far more for Sean, his moms and dads decided to get him to a expert, Dr. Peter Zage, at Rady Children’s Medical center in San Diego.

Sean’s most cancers returned in Oct and given that then Japanese and American physicians have been dealing with him so he can get safely and securely to San Diego through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pines have been going again and forth to Rady Children’s Healthcare facility for Sean’s remedy.

“For the final a few months we’ve been battling just to get to the issue to in which we can get him out of the country,” Michael Pine mentioned.

Father and son are scheduled to fly to the U.S. on Tuesday with help from the Worldwide Well being Treatment Clinic. Mainly because of Sean’s problem he should be on an intravenous drip and have a medical doctor and nurse fly with him. 

Every single time Sean relapses the loved ones of six spends $30,000 to $40,000, following insurance plan, on therapy, transportation, hotels and food items. A shot that allows Sean restore his bone marrow charges the household $700 a month, his father reported. 

“So, one of the hardest parts of this has been that it is a family members condition,” his mother, Kristin Pine-Duarte, 45, a native of San Diego and 3rd quality teacher at Yokota West Elementary College, instructed Stars and Stripes on Thursday. “It impacts every person. And we have a few other women that we assumed about it’s possible attempting to move again to the states, but monetarily that would devastate us.”

The loved ones has also stayed in Japan since Sean has stem cells saved there. When Sean relapses, he receives stem cells to increase his bone marrow rely.

Alan Retzlaff, 28, a family members close friend from Coolup, Australia, donated $500 to Sean’s GoFundMe campaign, he instructed Stars and Stripes by Facebook Messenger on June 6.

Retzlaff has recognised Sean’s dad and mom given that his 1st journey to Japan in 2017, he told Stars and Stripes on Monday. Retzlaff satisfied the Pine-Duartes for the duration of a monthlong excursion to Japan in 2017, after which they remained in speak to.

“I donated this sum of dollars on behalf of myself and my relatives,” Retzlaff stated. “Michael and Kristin have hearts of gold and should have all the aid they can get.”