Dinner to help child with Stage 4 cancer

Photo: .

Isabelle "Izzy" Newman

OXFORD— On January 5, 4-year-old Isabelle "Izzy" Newman was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.

On January 2, doctors discovered that she had a cancerous tumor in the left side of her abdomen, which quickly spread to her lymph nodes and bone marrow in and around her hips, said her mother Jasmine Marston. Izzy was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, and is considered by doctors as "high risk," she said.

"It's a large tumor."

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that arises in immature nerve cells. It affects mostly infants and young children, according to the National Cancer Institute.

On January 7, Izzy began her chemotherapy, and according to Marston, will continue to endure many other tests and surgeries. Izzy is currently being treated at Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland.

"She did five days of chemo in a row, and didn't get sick at all," said Marston. "She will have a total of six rounds of chemo, and each round is five days [long]," said Marston. "She won't have another round for another week."

When family friend Jacenta Grover found out about Izzy's condition, she was in shock. She said that it had been years since she and Marston had spoken. But recently, when the two reunited, she found out about Izzy.

"When I found out what her daughter had, it was like, 'wow,'" said Grover soberly. 

Though Grover only met Izzy a few times, she said that Izzy seems to always be in a good mood.

"She is so bubbly," said Grover. "Everytime I see her she is happy, and always smiling."

Grover said that this comes as a surprise, considering Stage 4 Neuroblastoma is "about as bad as it gets."

"I really don't think there is anything worse," she said. "Even though she had been in chemo, and is poked and prodded, she is still in a good mood. The chemo is not even making her sick!"

Marston said the best word to describe Izzy is "energetic."

"She is always on the go, and very happy," she said. "She is very independent, and likes to do everything by herself. ...The nurses have come to love her, because they've learned that she has a particular way of how she wants things done; otherwise, she is going to put up a fight. She has definitely won the hearts of the nurses."

On February 12, a benefit spaghetti dinner for Izzy will be held at the Paris Fire Department on Western Avenue from 2-7 p.m. Dinner will be served from 4-6 p.m. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children under 12, and free for children under 2.

When doors open at 2 p.m., there will be a photo booth set up where guests can have their photo taken wearing lavender and gold cancer ribbons. It will cost $3 for a 4-by-6 photo, said Grover, and photos will be printed upon purchase.

"Lavender stands for all kinds of cancer," explained Grover, who personally made the ribbons. "Gold is specifically for childhood cancer."

There will also be a ticket auction, said Grover. Results of the auction will begin at 6 p.m.

Anyone wishing to make a financial contribution can go into any TD Bank, and make a deposit into the Izzy Newman Benefit Account.

"A few donations have already been made," said Marston, "and there was one man who sold his Sleep Number bed for $200, and then put that money into the account."

According to Marston, people who do not have access to a TD Bank can also make donations through a website that has been created for Izzy: www.letshelpizzy.blogspot.com.

Klips beauty salon in Norway will also be donating gas cards to help Izzy and the family get back and forth to appointments, said Marston, and Beauty for the Soul Day Spa in Livermore Falls will hold a different fundraiser every month to help Izzy through her treatments, she said.

As long as she is feeling up to it, Izzy may even make an appearance at the dinner, said Grover.

"She's a trooper," said Grover. "She is a very strong little girl, having to go through all of this."

Marston, her husband, and Izzy are currently staying at MMC in Portland as they search for a permanent place to live. The family will temporarily move into a small bedroom at Marston's mother's home in Minot, while they struggle to find housing that is not only affordable, but will allow Izzy to keep her two dogs.

"She is so attached to them," said Marston, "and given the situation she is in, we want to keep her as happy as possible."

For more information about how to make a donation contact Jacenta Grover at 890-2028.