WATCH NOW! A little boy battling a rare cancer is the center of an outpour of community support. In November 2013 19-month-old Draven Dunklow was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in both of his eyes. His parents were devastated to learn their infant son and one of their five children was going to need several rounds of chemotherapy and potentially suffer from eyesight issues the rest of his life. But the medical situation became more grave when doctors told the Dunklows their sons cancer was a genetic form, and all family members needed to have genetic testing done to determine if they too carried the gene. Dravens condition and the upcoming tests have become a financial burden for the family of seven. But thats where their family, and their community came in. Both of Dravens parents have ties to the public safety community - Kevin works for the Traverse City Police Department and Andrea is an ER nurse and former EMS employee with North Flight. Kevin says once his co-workers found out about what was going on, his extended public safety family stepped up to start fundraisers to help offset some of the medical expenses. Tomorrow night Saturday January 18th, the Guns-N-Hoses charity hockey game kicks off at 7:30 with a silent auction, followed by the puck drop at 8:15. 9&10s Marisa McKay and photojournalist Jeremy Erickson spoke to organizers and the Dunklow family to learn more about how helping Draven has become a mission of the community.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 23:57:57 +0000
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