FUND RAISER TO BE SATURDAY FOR 4-YEAR-OLD CANCER VICTIM

MARQUAND -- Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday at Clearwater High School in Piedmont, friends and family of cancer victim Dillion Karn will play softball to help raise funds for his medical expenses.

Dillion was an active, outgoing 4-year-old with lots of energy to spare, family members say. When he began to slow down and lose his appetite they knew something was wrong.

Dillion's mother, Michelle, said she and Dillion's father, Robert, thought their son had the flu.

"He had flu symptoms," she said. "There were black circles under his eyes."

Michelle found out that Dillion may have a serious problem when his hemoglobin count was taken at the local WIC (Women Infants and Children) office. His reading was 6.8 far from the normal reading of 11 -14.

After seeing Dillion's family physician in Fredericktown he was referred to the Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis for a cat scan. The test revealed a rare form of cancer called neuroblastoma.

Dillion's physician, Dr. Robert Fallon, director of the division of hemotology and oncology at Cardinal Glennon and associate professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University, said the cancer is rare in children. Neuroblastoma is diagnosed in 5 to 15 Missouri children each year.

"Neuroblastoma is a mutation in the DNA," he said. Neuroblasts become malignant and produce tumors.

He said Dillion's tumor started near the adrenal gland and has become the size of a grapefruit.

Dillion is currently undergoing chemotherapy to shrink the tumor so it can be surgically removed. The whole process will take months.

On Wednesday, Dillion was taken back to Cardinal Glennon due to a fever, one of the side effects of chemotherapy.

"We keep a bag packed," said Dillion's grandmother, Margaret Million of Piedmont. "If he needs to go to St. Louis at a moment's notice we are ready to go."

Fallon said his goal is to cure Dillion completely.

"His prognosis is average if he responds to the chemotherapy," he said.

Dillion will undergo the therapy every three weeks for six to nine months.

Million said the Karnses need all the support of the community with prayers and donations.

"This has taken a toll on Dillion and his family," she said. "He has headaches, leg aches, stomachaches and pain from the tumor pushing on his spleen."

In addition to caring for Dillion, Michelle cares for his 14-month-old brother, Josh, and 5-year-old sister, Constance.

Million said the family needs funds, but she said they need something more.

"They need prayers," she said. "I hope for all we can get for them."

The fund raiser is open to anyone who wants to participate with teams of nine softball players for a donation to Dillion's fund. Proceeds from the ball games, an auction and concession stands will go to Dillion's fund.

Million has opened a trust fund for her grandson at the Patton Bank in Patton.