Landon's Hope for Pediatric Brain Tumor Awareness
As Landon's Jeep Page was started in early 2018, it grew to several thousand followers in a few months. In spring 2018, it was suggested that they hold a Jeep Festival in honor of Landon. That was when the planning began.
Landon's Jeep Jamboree 2018 drew over 650 Jeeps from over 18 states which raised over $20,000.00 for a cancer foundation.
At this point, the family decided they wanted to form a foundation in Landon's honor to bring awareness to Pediatric Brain Tumors as well as giving back to those families so that they can focus on the well being of their child. July 2018, Landon's Hope was formed as a 501(c)3 Non-Profit based out of Columbia, SC.
Our mission is to educate as many as we can about Pediatric Brain Tumors while we assist those families with grants so they can focus on the treatment of their child and not have to worry about the stress of everyday expenses while their child is in treatment.
About 2014, Landon started to get really dizzy and would fall without any reason. He was just like any other 6 year old boy, he loved to play baseball, go to kindergarten and hang out with his little brother and sister.
Alana, his mom, kept pressing the doctors for more answers as to why these things were happening. After many, many doctors' visit's and tests later...May 5th 2015, they were finally faced with some answers.
Landon had been diagnosed with a "grape-sized" tumor at the base of his brain stem. It rocked Alana and Matt's world.
They met with the neurosurgeon the next day and he said that he did not think that it was cancerous but that it should be removed soon. Landon was in a school play the next week that he did not want to miss. He was able to enjoy the next three weeks before everything would change.
His parents did everything they could to help him enjoy that time by just being a kid and getting to do things that he had not been able to do before. During those three weeks, his symptoms began to progress as he would get horrible headaches and vomit from the pressure of the tumor.
On May 26 2015, Landon had the surgery to remove the tumor. The surgery lasted for nearly 7 hours and it was far more complicated than they had originally expected. He had to receive a blood transfusion and they closed him up because his vitals were bad. His little body could not take much more.
Landon was in the hospital for many months.
As of today, Landon has nerve damage from the numerous surgeries as well as complications resulting from the surgeries and the tumor.
Landon's Force - His Battle Is Our Battle