Hadley Baker of De Pere is battling a rare form of cancer. Her friends, family and the community are rallying behind her to raise awareness of rhabdomyosarcoma. (Photo: Kari Van Lanen)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Thanks to the community, a 12-year-old De Pere girl battling a rare form of cancer will be able to come home to Wisconsin after receiving treatment in Florida.
Hadley Baker is a seventh grader in the Unified School District of De Pere. She has been fighting rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, for more than 18 months. Doctors first discovered the cancer after originally thinking Hadley needed a tooth pulled.
According to the Hope for Hadley Facebook page, Hadley went to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami earlier this week to receive a surgery.
Hadley’s mother Lauren posted on Thursday that her daughter’s condition has “deteriorated dramatically” and she just wants Hadley to rest comfortably with her family and friends back home.
The family needed a medical flight to bring her home.
On Friday afternoon, the family confirmed they got the flight thanks to Russ and Denise Nowak and The Wheeler Family. Hadley will be flown home Saturday morning.
Earlier Friday, the Facebook page asked people to donate to Hadley’s mother’s Venmo account.
It warned donors to double check the account as scammers opened similar-looking, fake Venmo accounts to get the donated money meant for Hadley.
As Hadley’s cancer battle continues, her supporters are also trying to give her a chance to take part in opportunities she may not get to experience someday. In October, Hadley got to attend De Pere High School’s homecoming dance and just this past week, as a member of the basketball team, she received her very own varsity letter.
The family also has a GoFundMe page raising money for her medical costs. Because money in GoFundMe accounts takes 2–5 business days to transfer, the family is asking for donations for the air ambulance to go to the Venmo account.
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