Benefit for Christine Johnson July 23
Tue, 07/09/2019 - 9:49am
admin
A benefit fundraiser for Christine Johnson will be held on Tuesday, July 23 from 4:00-9:00 p.m. at Magelssen Elementary School in Fosston.
Christine is the three-year-old daughter of Tim and Laura Johnson. She has two older brothers, Carl and Max, an older sister Emily, and a younger brother Andrew. In May of 2019, Christine developed extremely swollen lymph nodes. This led to the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Initially, this led to a lengthy hospital stay in Fargo, and since then she has had numerous return visits to Fargo and Bemidji for blood work.
Christine is a typical little girl who likes to play with dolls, color, watch cartoons, play outside, and ride her trike. One of the unfortunate side effects of the treatments is a neuropathy in her feet, which has led to a fear of falling while walking. She has also had a lot of pain in her back from a tumor and numerous lumbar punctures for both treatment and diagnostics. This has resulted in her not being able to enjoy the more mobile activities she would ordinarily be doing this summer. She’s been a real trooper about taking her medicines and cooperating for the treatments, but it’s fair to say that she’s sick of being sick.
The family remains in high spirits and they are very grateful for the outpouring support from the community. Christine's treatment is estimated to last for the next three to four years. This event will help raise funds to alleviate financial burdens the family may experience. Continued prayers are appreciated as it is going to be quite a long road ahead.
"We are grateful as a family for many things,” say parents Laura and Tim. “The level of care and concern by her medical team has been top notch. Our respective employers have been as generous and accommodating as anyone could ever hope for. And of course, the outpouring of support and love from the communities in the area has taken our breath away. I don’t think we needed any reminders of how great it is to live, work, and be a part of this community, but we have received that reminder in many ways from many people since this happened. God’s love has been shown to us through many people, from lifelong friends to people we’ve never even met before. We are thankful for a loving, caring community."
Raffle tickets are available to purchase in advance or at the event. T-shirts are currently being sold in Fosston at Nord’s Pharmacy & Gifts and Burggraf’s Ace Hardware for $10 each.
A free will offering will be accepted at the benefit.
Immediate donations can be made at American Federal Bank in Fosston.