May/12/08 08:06 AM Filed in:
DJ Williams
"Quentin is amazing," said
his mother, Jennifer Martino.
Quentin is winning a year-and-a-half long battle with
leukemia. He's beating odds that are stacked pretty
high against him. Fifty percent of infant leukemia
patients do not survive, but after six months in the
hospital, and nearly a year of maintenance
chemotherapy, Quentin seems to be doing just fine.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't count my
blessings for how well he's doing," Jennifer added.
Jennifer is also thankful for the kindness of
strangers. She's met others who know the impact cancer
can have on a family.
"There as been such an outpouring of love and support,"
Jennifer told CBS4.
Now another mother is planning a fundraiser for
Quentin. Not just any other mother, the mother of
Bronco defensive linebacker, D.J. Williams.
"Being a parent and having your child go through this
is tough and difficult, and people can use as much help
as possible," Williams said.
Williams' mother wanted to help because as a child she
had a brother who battled leukemia.
"My mother had a brother who passed away at 10 years
old, and it's close and dear to her heart," Williams
said.
"She didn't have to know us. She didn't have to know
anything about Quentin. She didn't have to meet me to
know that she wanted to do something for our family who
has a child with cancer," Jennifer said.
It's the kind of connection that brings mothers
together in the face of a difficult diagnosis.
The fundraiser is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14 from
2 to 4 p.m. at the Lighthouse Cafe in Parker. Broncos
D.J. Williams, Nate Webster and Louis Green will be
there to sign autographs and take pictures.
For those who can't attend the fundraiser but are
still interested in helping the Martino family,
Jennifer set up a PayPal account to take donations. The
email address is caring4childhoodcancer@gmail.com.
For those who can't afford to make a donation, they can
help Quentin and other children with leukemia and
various types of cancer by making a blood donations.
Quentin received more than 40 blood product
transfusions during the course of his treatment. You
can also sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry.
The "Thanks Mom" Marrow Drive is going on at
www.marrow.org where they are waiving the usual
registration fees to be registered on the National Bone
Marrow Registry May 5 through May 19. If Quentin ever
needed a bone marrow transplant, he would have to get a
non-sibling donor from the National Registry because he
is an only child.
(cbs4denver.com)