ST. JOHN | The bump on 11-year-old Anna Mrdak’s leg seemed like just another bruise until her doctor diagnosed it as osteosarcoma (bone cancer) last March.
The St. John Lions Club has planned a Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction fundraiser for the Mrdak Family from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at St. John VFW Post 717, 10400 W. 93rd Ave. All proceeds will be given to the family to help with the many financial expenses that have and will accumulate over the course of her treatments.
Anna, of St. John, spent most of the last nine months at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago receiving chemotherapy treatments and undergoing surgery in July to remove the tumor located in her left shin.
Recovery will require Anna to not apply any pressure to her leg for at least one year and only use a wheelchair. She arrived home from her final chemotherapy treatment Dec. 23, just in time to spend Christmas with her family.
She will have a CT scan of her chest and an x-ray of her leg every three months to confirm that she is clear of cancer.
She has only been able to attend a few days of classes this school year at Clark Middle School, relying on her home school teacher to help her with her studies when she is feeling up to it.
The Mrdak family believes its strong faith in God and community prayer support has helped them to stay strong and remain positive.
For those who prefer to make a monetary donation to help the Mrdak family, an account has been established at the St. John branch of Chase Bank. Checks should be made out to Deborah Mrdak and ECI#0235916250 should be written on the note line.
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