A Spruce Grove photographer is organising a fundraiser to help the family of an infant girl as she battles cancer.
Annaleigh Rabbit was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in December when she was just seven months old.
“I think she has a really good survival success. I think she is going to make it through this,” Amanda Toms told CTV News.
Toms has offered to photograph the family while Annaleigh battles cancer.
“My whole objective is to give them good memories. To know that there is the good and the bad.”
Now she is organizing an online, silent auction to help support the family through the tough time.
“Kevin had to quit work to stay home with the other kids and Ashley has not left the hospital since Annaleigh has been diagnosed.”
By gathering donations from local businesses, Toms said she plans to start posting items online next week and will be accepting bids on Friday.
“My goal was $1,000 but because I have had so much support from the community it is now $5,000.”
Toms said all proceeds will be going to the family.
Annaleigh’s father told CTV News that she had just finished her third round of chemotherapy and although the doctors had originally planned to do four rounds they were now thinking of other ways to help Annaleigh.
“They were supposed to do her fourth round this week but they are postponing that. They want to do some scans and some testing to see if they can remove it,” Kevin Ressler said.
The family have set up a Go Fund Me page where they have raised over $3,000 in the last few weeks.
The bottle depots in Spruce Grove and Stony Plain will allow customers to donate their funds to the family. Other businesses in the area have allowed Toms to leave donation jars at their stores.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, neuroblastoma accounts for about 10 per cent of all cancers in children.
With files from Nicole Weisberg
