Matilda ’s Story

Site created on September 7, 2021

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


In mid-August of this year, sweet 10- month old Tilly Bastow was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid (AML) Leukemia. Days after her diagnosis, she received a central port and started her first round of chemotherapy. Tilly will be spending the next 10-12 months at Children's hospital in Seattle where she will receive three rounds of chemotherapy and possibly a bone marrow transplant.  


Tilly has an amazing team of physicians and medical specialists helping her through this medical journey and thankfully her parents, Zach and Emily, are able to stay with her during her time at Children's. Tilly is receiving the best available care, and her family and care team are optimistic that her treatment will be effective.


While Tilly has been feeling the effects of chemotherapy and fighting infections with a compromised immune system, her sweet and bright personality continues to shine and she is happy to be with her mom and dad (she does miss her big sister, Eliza, though).  Zach and Emily are grateful they get to be with Tilly during this time, but they will have limited contact with their 8-year old daughter, Eliza, and they will not be able to work full time while Tilly is going through treatment.  Eliza's grandparents will be taking turns traveling to Bellingham to help care for Eliza as she continues her 3rd grade year at Roosevelt Elementary.


As we can all imagine, this year is going bring financial and emotional stress for the Bastow family. Please show them support any way you can! Consider donating money to help cover Tilly's medical care or simply send a thoughtful message, care package, meal, or toys/gifts for Tilly and Eliza.  Please feel free to reach out to Amanda Nayfield at 360-306-7955 if you have questions about how you can help!

If you would like to donate money to the Bastow family, please do so on there go fund me site:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-bastows-during-tillys-chemotherapy?d=:signedDonationId&utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email_m_pd-5332-donation-receipt-adyen&utm_content=internal

Newest Update

February 10, 2023

Journal entry by Zach Bastow —

Hello!  This is Emily writing today.  Just a quick and happy update for everyone. Everything from Tilly’s one year review came out GREAT! No leukemia (even at the smallest titration level) and 100% Eliza’s genetics. So phew! We get to relax (hopefully) for another six months until Tilly’s next biopsy. We’re exhausted and relieved and need to sleep for a few months (but oh yeah, we still have a two year old and nine year old so that’s not going to happen). Major hugs and gratitude to everyone who put energy out into the universe for Tilly these last few weeks and helped make this happen. We love and appreciate all of you. 
Read More of the journal titled "February 10, 2023"
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