Sean's Venetian Crusade Fund; Help Send Sean and His Family To Italy

Sean Carhart

Sean Carhart has a very rare form of cancer that has no cure; he is also a friend of my son, Steve.

Family and friends are trying to raise funds to send Sean and his family on his "dream trip" to Venice, Italy before his condition worsens further. Last week, Sean went into surgery to remove a blockage in his intestinal tract. I am happy to report that all went well and he is recovering from this most recent operation comfortably and the hope is that he will be able to board a plane to Italy soon.

The goal of the fundraiser is to raise $20,000; they are nearly there but need more help and with the generous help of others who have not heard of Sean's plight, I'm sure that this goal can be met and surpassed before the scheduled end of the fundraiser on September 16th.

Below is the brief write-up on Sean that appears on the "Sean's Venetian Crusade Fund" webpage that tells of this young man's life and battles with this horrible disease which has not only affected him but also his family:

The game of Minecraft, sushi, his computer, learning about history, picking on his little brother Christopher and giving his Mom gray hair are some of the things 18 year old Sean Carhart enjoys.

This recent graduate of Middletown North High School is bright, quirky and kind hearted and hopes to live long enough to give his Mom a full head of gray hair. Sean’s Journey of life definitely was not a smooth one for his parents Marita Bucco and Russell Carhart. He was born in December of 1993, only two short years after the Carhart’s had suffered the loss of their infant child Victoria, from complications due to a serious Congenital Heart Defect.

It would seem unimaginable that when Sean was only two months old, the Carhart's headed in for rounds at the hospital once again. This time it was not the misfortune of a complex congenital heart defect that was causing Doctors to take a second look, but childhood cancer.

Neuroblastoma, one of the most common forms childhood cancers was Sean’s first medical hurdle in life. He received chemotherapy and radiation and sailed through the treatments during his first two years on earth. His only evidence of battling childhood cancer is his loss of hearing. 

Not quite exactly a picturesque infancy, but lucky to have been “cured” of cancer and live fourteen healthy, cancer free years until family decided he did not look “quite right”. In June 2009, Sean was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma; a cancer which normally attacks the extremities.

Sean’s condition is extremely rare and since his cancer has taken up residence in his GI tract, his treatment for the past three years has been focused on surgically removing the tumors and participating in clinical trials through the National Institute of Health (NIH), seeing how there are no known treatments for this type of cancer. An additional gift of three years to enjoy more Minecraft games, seafood and add a few more grays to his Mom’s head was granted.

Sadly, in June 2012, doctors noted significant tumor growth in Sean’s liver and lung, which now makes him ineligible to participate in the study they were in at NIH. The Carharts hope and pray there are more experimental treatments that could help slow the cancer growth, and give Sean a chance at attending his first year of college. 

Sean is presently experiencing pain and difficulty walking. Doctors encourage the family to make the most of every day. When you ask Sean what he would do if he had unlimited funds the only thing he really would love to do is take a trip to Venice, Italy.

This history lover of Italian decent is enthralled with all that Venice has to offer and would love to experience the magic of the Venetian Islands and perhaps savor some seafood and gelato along the way. With time ticking Sean depends on the timely generosity of friends, family and strangers to help make his dream a reality for him and his family
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Please consider making Sean's dream come true by donating online or by check.
Please make your donation payable to: 

"Sean's Venetian Crusade Fund"
709 Old Farm Road
Point Pleasant, NJ 08742.

Thank you for your support.
For additional information or questions please contact:
Mariagrace Welsh
magrace426@gmail.com