Merced rallies around 3-year-old who 'almost died twice'

MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A Merced household is warring aft their youngest son, a toddler, was enactment connected hospice pursuing a crab diagnosis and aft losing everything owed to a occurrence - and the assemblage is warring on with them.

On April 20, 2024, the Medina-Benson household took Luke Benson, a three-year-old and the youngest of 4 siblings, to the exigency country aft being sick for respective days. Five days later, the household received immoderate heartbreaking news: Luke was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a malignant encephalon tumor.

Medina-Benson family. Courtesy: Jallussee Medina-Benson.

During his clip astatine the hospital, the Medina-Benson household learned Luke besides had Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a uncommon humor upset successful which humor cells commencement destroying themselves.

"He astir died twice. He had to beryllium intubated doubly due to the fact that of it," said Jallussee.

After going done assorted types of treatment, his ma says Luke was yet capable to spell location aft completing attraction and being discharged connected April 18, 2025.

On May 14, the household went for an MRI and learned Luke's crab was non-curable due to the fact that helium was not responding to immoderate of the chemotherapy treatment.

"They did a stem compartment rescue to effort to, like, heal him a small spot faster. But nary of that worked, essentially," Jallussee said. "So that was truly disheartening to hear."

After receiving the news, Jallussee said they started a GoFundMe to money a bucket database for Luke and bask their past days together.

"As soon arsenic the doc said, 'You know, you guys request to bash this, you guys request to bash this. You request to unrecorded a mean beingness arsenic overmuch arsenic you can.' And, you know, we'll effort to springiness you arsenic overmuch clip arsenic we can. That's erstwhile we started, you know, reasoning of what?" she said.

However, days later, connected May 26, different calamity deed the Medina-Benson household - they mislaid everything during a fire.

The occurrence started successful the garage. The family's father, Sam, instructed the kids to get out.

"He told our oldest to drawback Luke and his mediate member and spell outside. And truthful they went done the backyard and hopped the obstruction to the beforehand gait due to the fact that they couldn't spell to the beforehand door."

Jallussee says each their belongings, including aesculapian supplies, were mislaid successful the fire; however, fixed that Luke was connected hospice owed to his diagnosis, immoderate of the aesculapian supplies were provided portion helium received palliative care.

Now, the household says they are looking to walk Luke's past days the champion mode they tin - and the assemblage has joined to assistance them marque that possible, with donations, fundraisers and support.

A help, she says, is helping them get person to imperishable housing.

"Thank you to everybody who has donated, who's travel up with fundraisers, who's done each these things for america due to the fact that we truly wouldn't beryllium present without them," said Jallussee.

Jallussee and Luke. Courtesy: Jallussee Medina-Benson.

Jallussee is besides moving connected her photography business, since she says this volition assistance her to marque wealth and enactment person to her children. She is besides astir to decorativeness nursing school, and the household is connected their mode to getting the archetypal happening connected Luke's bucket list: Disneyland.

Anyone who wishes to enactment this household tin click present to sojourn their GoFundMe page.