Benefit for toddler set for next Tuesday

People can drink for a cause June 27, when Triple Dog Brewing Co. will donate one dollar of every pint sold that day to the account of Finnley Foster, a local 2-year-old with severe combined immunodeficiency, SCID.

“Basically, she has no immune system. Her body can’t fight infections,” said Kayleen Breen, friend of mother Katie Whitmore and benefit coordinator.

SCID, a rare genetic disorder, is also known by several other names including bubble boy disease because its victims are extremely vulnerable to infectious diseases. Finnley was diagnosed with SCID when she was 4 months old.

“She gets weekly infusions of antibodies so she won’t get sick,” Breen said.

Prayers for Finnley Grace, a public Facebook group for Finnley, says she was 4 months old when doctors discovered a rash. She went in for blood tests and her white blood cell count was through the roof. When concerns Finnley had leukemia were raised, the family was flown out to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where doctors found she had E.coli in her blood. After about 14 days in the hospital, she was not getting better, so doctors performed more tests and she was diagnosed with SCID .

Finnley has been with Whitmore and her father, Pat Foster, at Seattle Children’s Hospital since May 29, after a semi-annual checkup in April revealed some problems. Since then, Finnley has had GI procedures, infusions and a bone marrow biopsy.

The biopsy, Breen said, revealed an infection that has spread to her spleen and stomach.

“She needs a bone marrow transplant,” Breen said. “They’ve got a long road ahead ahead of them.”

Finnley may be in the hospital up to a year, putting the family in tight financial straits, Breen said. On top of medical expenses, travel and hotel expenses — the family now stays in the hospital and has eliminated the hotel expenses — are cutting into their budget as well as the standard bills back at home.

The purpose of the benefits, Breen said, is to provide some relief for the parents so they can focus on Finnley.

In addition to the Triple Dog benefit, more fundraisers are on the horizon, such as one with Pizza Hut July 6, when the restaurant will donate 20 percent of the purchase price if buyers say they want to donate to Finnley.

Breen said she is also working to coordinate a spaghetti feed and auction for October or November. Anyone interested in donating items can call Breen at 406-839-8149.