Family overwhelmed by community’s support
Lenox Nosterud battling Leukemia:
October 31, 2019, 8:29 am
Kevin Weedmark
Devin and Teshia Nosterud say they are overwhelmed by the support they have received from the community in the last few days.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, their son Lenox went to the doctor and was sent to Saskatoon for tests. On Wednesday, he was diagnosed with Leukemia.
By Thursday, a GoFundMe page was started for the family, raising $10,000 in the first hour and $20,000 by the Friday morning.
Friday evening, while the family was at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon, friends gathered at St. Mary’s Church in Moosomin to pray for Lenox, in a service led by Rev. Mel Konkel.
“It is overwhelming,” Devin said Friday. “It’s kind of funny, since me and Tesh are Kinsmen and Kinettes we’re typically the ones on the other side of the coin and helping out with things like this.
“You always see it but you don’t really realize the impact it has until you are in the position of people wanting to help you.
“It is just absolutely incredible the support we have received, and the well wishes we are getting and the GoFundMe page. I think the only real way of putting it is I am speechless. There is no way of expressing our gratitude.”
Big help
He said the funds raised will be a big help for the family.
“It will absolutely help,” he said. “Because the way the treatment works we are in Saskatoon for at least a month to start. That is the most extensive of the treatment, and then we are going to be back and forth to either Saskatoon or Regina doing treatments weekly, and we may have to be there for a week at a time. And then we’re going to have to go in once a month for three and a half years and then every year after that just to make sure everything is okay, just to make sure it doesn’t come back.
Diagnosis
Devin said the family received the diagnosis Wednesday.
“Lenox has always been battling asthma and he was having a bit of an episode,” he said.
“He started to complain about headaches and stomach aches so Tesh booked him a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday and when she went to the doctor’s appointment she asked for a physical. Dr. Van agreed. He saw a few things that made him a little concerned and within a couple of hours we were asked to come back.
“We were told we have to get up to Saskatoon immediately, so we drove up and then by Wednesday we found out that it was Leukemia, and by Thursday we found out exactly the type he has.”
Happy with team at hospital
“We came up to the Children’s Hospital here and it is absolutely amazing,” Devin said.
“The team they have here is amazing. They have everything covered. It’s so cool. Any time we’ve had a question typically we’ve had it answered by the time we’ve had a chance to ask. It really makes the best of a bad situation. We are very well taken care of here.”
He said the fact that there is a good team to work with in Saskatoon, and there is a lot of support back home makes a very difficult situation easier to bear.
“It has very much warmed our hearts everything that has happened over the past day with the GoFundMe, with the outpouring of support we are getting from people and text messages offering support, it is just nothing short of amazing.”
Prognosis good
Devin said the type of Leukemia his son has is one of the more easily treatable types.
“The type that he has is the best case scenario. It is the most easily treated and it has got one of the highest success rates. The chemotherapy is still hard, we have a long road ahead of us, however the success rate is one of the best for Leukemia.”
Amazed by support
Until the interview Friday afternoon, Devin wasn’t aware that a prayer service was being planned for Lenox Friday evening in Moosomin.
“That is amazing,” he said. “It means so much to us that people care about us. I’m speechless.
“It’s just funny—being part of service groups you’re always in on the planning, trying to help others. I always find with volunteering that I do it because it makes me feel good and also because I am helping people. You don’t realize the impact that it has on the families until you are in their position and it is absolutely amazing to have that support.”
Grateful for support
Teshia said the family appreciates all the support.
“We are extremely grateful for the amount of support we’ve received through the GoFundMe page and through etransfers,” she said.
“We’ve opened a separate medical account for Lenox where these donations will go and used only for medical expenses for him and this journey.” Tweet
