According to a story from 10tv.com, Kellan Shatto is an eight year old boy who really likes to play with Legos. He also has a rare disease: neurofibromatosis. The disease has forced the youngster to undergo chemotherapy since age three. Kellan was a luck recipient of a Lego donation drive organized by another rare disease patient named Braxton Long. Braxton had glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer, which ultimately claimed his life in July 2017. The boy was treated as Nationwide Children’s Hospital and decided that the drive would be a great way to remind the struggling patients that they weren’t being forgotten.
About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is a rare brain cancer. It is also the most aggressive cancer to originate in the brain. It is characterized by its rapid progression and poor response to most treatments. In most cases, the cause of glioblastoma is not known. A small number of cases evolve from another type of tumor called an astrocytoma. Risk factors for glioblastoma include genetic disorders such as Turcot syndrome and neurofibromatosis, exposure to pesticides, smoking, and a career in petroleum refining or rubber manufacture. Symptoms of glioblastoma include personality changes, headaches, memory loss, seizures, vomiting, and nausea; patients may lose consciousness in late stages. Treatment approaches include anticonvulsants, steroids, chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. While a small number of patients can survive for several years, treatment is often ineffective, with the tumor relapsing quickly. Five year survival rate is only three percent. To learn more about glioblastoma, click here.
Braxton’s Lego Drive
The donation drive soon became far bigger than Braxton or his family ever anticipated. In no time, the Long’s had 342 Lego sets delivered. Brittany, Braxton’s mother, decided after his death that the donation drive would continue as a way to not only uplift patients but to also honor and remember the life of her son. The drive has collected over 5,000 sets so far and half of those were since the boy’s passing.
Kellan met Braxton in 2016 and the two patients were both honored at a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game that year. Kellan says that the best way to honor the memory of his friend is to continue donating to the Lego drive.
Do you have a set to donate? Send it here:
Brittany Long
10188 Fairfax Dr.
Pickerington, Ohio 43147
