Family of Xavier College Prep coach raising funds for toddler son’s cancer treatment
A Coachella Valley family is seeking the support of the community to help raise money for their young son's cancer treatment.
Brittney Peterson, who has been friends with the Clark family for 30 years, created a GoFundMe page to fundraise for two-year-old Hudson Clark.
Hudson was diagnosed with Leukemia on Sunday and has since started chemotherapy treatment at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, in Loma Linda.
Ashley Molina, who says she's been friends with Hudson's mother for nearly 20 years, said the young boy's journey to recovery "is going to get expensive quickly, with an estimated 2 years of treatment, at minimum.”
His family is asking for donations to "help them as they navigate through this devastating time," according to the GoFundMe page.
Hudson's 13-year-old sister, Michaela Willis Mazzilli, spoke to News Channel 3 and said right now she's asking the community to pray for her brother.
Michaela said having a little brother is something she has always wanted, and added “every Christmas I would always ask my mom for a little brother just because I was an only child for a long time.”
Despite their roughly 10 year age difference, Hudson and his older sister have always been inseparable.
Michaela said, “we play Hide and Seek, we play Tag, we run around all the time, we swim together, we play in the backyard together.”
While she said she used to play with her little brother every day, that has changed since he got sick.
Michaela said she is not allowed to visit him in the hospital because she’s not 18.
As she teared up, she shared details about a recent trip to see Hudson and said, “I went to the courtyard and we were in the grass field and he was looking out the window. He was wanting me to go see him.”
Brittney Peterson, a family friend who started the GoFundMe page for Hudson, told News Channel 3 that Hudson's parents have done a lot for the community and now they need the community to come out and show whatever support they can in their time of need.
Hudson's father is Andrew Clark, the head baseball coach at Xavier College Prep in Palm Desert.
Ashley Molina, a longterm friend of the Clark family, told News Channel 3 that they are holding a fundraiser on Sunday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Roma Tire & Service Centers, off of Jackson Street in Indio.
The fundraiser will be sponsored by Fidelis Mobile Car Spa and all proceeds raised will go to Hudson and the Clark family.
A Facebook page has also been set up to provide the community with updates on Hudson's journey.
Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates on this story.
