Broncos Player Helps Toddler With Leukemia

"Quentin is amazing," said his mother, Jennifer Martino.

Quentin is winning a year-and-a-half long battle with leukemia. He's beating odds that are stacked pretty high against him. Fifty percent of infant leukemia patients do not survive, but after six months in the hospital, and nearly a year of maintenance chemotherapy, Quentin seems to be doing just fine.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't count my blessings for how well he's doing," Jennifer added.

Jennifer is also thankful for the kindness of strangers. She's met others who know the impact cancer can have on a family.

"There as been such an outpouring of love and support," Jennifer told CBS4.

Now another mother is planning a fundraiser for Quentin. Not just any other mother, the mother of Bronco defensive linebacker, D.J. Williams.

"Being a parent and having your child go through this is tough and difficult, and people can use as much help as possible," Williams said.

Williams' mother wanted to help because as a child she had a brother who battled leukemia.

"My mother had a brother who passed away at 10 years old, and it's close and dear to her heart," Williams said.

"She didn't have to know us. She didn't have to know anything about Quentin. She didn't have to meet me to know that she wanted to do something for our family who has a child with cancer," Jennifer said.

It's the kind of connection that brings mothers together in the face of a difficult diagnosis.

The fundraiser is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lighthouse Cafe in Parker. Broncos D.J. Williams, Nate Webster and Louis Green will be there to sign autographs and take pictures. 

For those who can't attend the fundraiser but are still interested in helping the Martino family, Jennifer set up a PayPal account to take donations. The email address is caring4childhoodcancer@gmail.com.

For those who can't afford to make a donation, they can help Quentin and other children with leukemia and various types of cancer by making a blood donations. Quentin received more than 40 blood product transfusions during the course of his treatment. You can also sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry.

The "Thanks Mom" Marrow Drive is going on at www.marrow.org where they are waiving the usual registration fees to be registered on the National Bone Marrow Registry May 5 through May 19. If Quentin ever needed a bone marrow transplant, he would have to get a non-sibling donor from the National Registry because he is an only child.

(cbs4denver.com)