A fundraiser Sunday aims to help a Saanich family whose three-year-old boy has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Liam Comboye received a diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) this spring, according to the GoFundMe that Comboye’s aunt Lindsay Walper set up on April 13.
“Our family just received the most heartbreaking news that our precious Liam, who is only three years old, has malignant glioma diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (a brain tumour), and his diagnosis is not good,” said Walper. “We are shattered.”
Sunday’s fundraiser for Liam, who has a younger brother, takes place at Centennial Park on Wallace Drive between noon and 2 p.m. It will feature games, food, drinks and aims to add to the $25,000 that the current GoFundMe campaign has raised towards its goal of $50,000.
Agustin Torres, a local realtor and family friend of Liam’s mother Cari, is helping to organize the fundraiser.
“I’m just trying to do something to help them out,” he said, noting that he has a three-year-old child himself. “We are hoping to get around 100 families.”
Funds raised Sunday will go towards the Comboye family’s expenses and B.C. Children’s Hospital.
It is not clear whether the Comboyes will be able to attend the event themselves.
A rare and aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer, DIPG impacts the brain stem. The survival rate is low for children who have been diagnosed with DIGP.
This prospect also colours Walper’s appeal. “Please consider supporting my sister,” she said. “There is no amount too small. We believe in miracles and know that love conquers all things, and knowing you are with us in prayer and in spirit will bring some peace through this process.”
