Grace Skuches was diagnosed with the tumor when she was 6 months old. Watch video
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- NJ Blood Services is asking members of the community to donate blood July 14 in honor of an 18-month-old girl with a rare brain tumor.
Grace Skuches, an 18-month-old diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. (Courtesy of Jennifer Skuches) Grace Skuches, of Washington Township, was diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdiod Tumor when she was 6 months old.
Doctors removed the tumor, but it recurred in January, causing facial paralysis. Grace has undergone chemotherapy, a stem cell harvest and three stem cell rescues, NJ Blood Services said.
During her multiple surgeries and treatments, she has received more than 15 blood transfusions and 18 platelet transfusions.
"Grace has a long road ahead, but we have faith in God that she will survive and thrive," her mother Jennifer Dondero Skuches wrote on the YouCaring crowdfunding website.
Skuches shares Grace's progress on the site with regular blog posts, including a piece recalling her first brain surgery June 2015 at St. Joseph's Children's in Paterson.
The site is raising money to help the family in the battle against Grace's brain cancer.
Grace's father, Ken, is chief of the Coast Guard Regional Exam Center in New York, while Jennifer works for the Department of Justice. They told a Coast Guard blog that Grace will likely need treatment until she is 20 years old.
Grace's medical has surpassed over $1 million, while the Skuches pay at least $10,000 a year out of pocket.
NJ Blood Services, a division of New York Blood Center, has organized a blood drive July 14 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 79 Pascack Rd., Township of Washington. Donors should be healthy, at least 17 or 16 with parental consent, with photo ID.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.