Saratoga Springs family’s van breaks down on way to son’s chemotherapy

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A child being diagnosed with cancer is something no family wants to face.

When the devastating diagnosis comes, you just hold onto hope that nothing else will go wrong. However, sometimes everything breaks down all at once.

Tre Quenneville is a 2-year-old boy beginning his first day of his last round of chemotherapy. Monday marks his sixth time checking in to the hospital for treatment.

Call it mother’s intuition, Alison Quenneville knew her son’s symptoms couldn’t be chalked up to just toddler clumsiness.

“He was holding onto the walls when he was walking and he would be standing up and just fall over,” said Quenneville.

A scan revealed her instinct was right.

“He has medulloblastoma,” Quenneville said. “It’s a brain cancer and it’s stage four. He also has spots on his spine.”

Since November, they’ve been driving from their home in Saratoga Springs to the hospital, until a couple days ago.

“The light started flashing (on the car’s display),” she said. “And my husband was like, ‘are you kidding me?’”

Quenneville says they coasted to an auto body shop and then got a ride to the hospital from family, but the Quennevilles own a small business, have six kids, and now, a broken down minivan.

“It’s just one more thing,” she said with a sigh. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

They’re already in the process of figuring out how to tackle the growing stack of medical bills.

“My bills are literally just pages and pages,” she said.

It’s not clear yet how much it’s going to cost to fix the van.

“I’m kind of numb with all of this unfortunately,” she said.

It’s just another financial burden the family will face, when all they want to do is focus on Tre’s recovery.

“His hair is starting to grow back and his appetite is beginning to return.”

Doctors say Tre’s prognosis is good, and this mom vows to never give up.

“I just really have bad luck,” she said.

Quenneville is hoping that luck will change and the hospital, along with the commutes back and forth, will soon be a thing of the past.

If you would like to help out the Quennevilles, visit the You Caring page.