Sylvester’s Burgers offers free burgers for donations of $20 or more to its Fundraiser for Kyndal in June 

ATASCADERO — On Jun. 19, The Atascadero Elks Lodge will be hosting a BBQ fundraiser for five-year-old Kyndal Gottfried, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in March.

Kyndal, a resident of Atascadero, was diagnosed with brain cancer while visiting family in Texas with her mom Raquel Gottfried.

After showing strange symptoms, Raquel brought Kyndal to the Texas Children’s Hospital. Within one hour of arriving at the hospital, Kyndal had a CT scan which revealed a three-centimeter tumor attached to her brain.

The next day Kyndal went through a six-hour operation removing the large tumor. Unfortunately, two smaller tumors were found in Kyndals brain, and a third was found at the base of her spine.

Kyndal recently completed six intense weeks of proton radiation therapy and will be followed by a six-week break to recover until her next treatment.

Proton radiation therapy is commonly used in children for more precise treatment and allows doctors to avoid long-term damage to her brain.

After her six weeks of recovery, Kyndal will undergo seven months of chemotherapy.

Because a tumor was found on her spine, doctors have advised that the first treatment needs to be aggressive and is her best chance at ridding the cancer.

Kyndal’s last day of radiation treatment was on Jun. 1. So far, Kyndal has taken the treatment well. She has not lost any weight but has lost all her hair, but Kyndal was able to pick out her own wigs. Naturally, she picked out a mermaid and a purple princess wig.

“She has lost all of her hair, which was hard mostly for me at first, but she is so confident and used to it now that she rarely wears a hat or wig. I am so proud of her,” said her mother, Raquel.

On Jun. 2, Kyndal and her mom will be heading home to Atascadero for a few weeks of recovery. 

Some of Kyndal’s friends from preschool will be at the fundraiser, which her mother Raquel says she is looking forward to.

“She and my dad are close–he hasn’t been able to come out here, so she is really excited to see her papa, and she is excited to see all her friends from school,” said Raquel.

On Jul. 12, Kyndal will begin her 28 weeks of chemotherapy treatment. Because a tumor was found on her spine, Kyndal’s chemotherapy treatment will be extremely intense.

Kyndal and Raquel have just moved into a three-bedroom home at a discounted cost provided by Project Joy and Hope in Pasadena, Texas.

“The fact that so many people are taking time and energy to pray for Kyndal and me means so much to me. We are so incredibly blessed,” said Raquel.

Another way people can support Kyndal is by visiting one of Sylvester’s Burger’s locations. 

From Jun. 1 through Jun. 30, Sylvester’s Burgers is offering free burgers to people who donate $20 or more to Sylvester’s Facebook Fundraiser for Kyndal. Just bring your proof of ID with you when you order. 

You can pick up your free burger from their Atascadero, Los Osos, and Oceano locations. As of May 31, Sylvester’s has already raised over $3,000.

Ashley Marckel, the marketing director for Sylvestor’s Burger, said, “My team watched Kyndal’s story and knew we needed to do more for the family. We will be fundraising during the entire month of June in hopes to support the family throughout the treatment process. Sylvester’s loves helping out the community, and we are beyond happy to support Kyndal and her family during this difficult time.”

To donate to Sylvester’s Burger’s fundraiser, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/donate/538719990460541/

For the Jun. 19 BBQ fundraiser at the Atascadero Elk’s Lodge, plates are $20 each and include tri-tip, salad, garlic bread, and beans. 

There will be indoor and outdoor dining or drive-thru pick-up. 

To purchase presale tickets, you can Venmo @kyndal-gottfried (include your full name and number of tickets).

Or call Sonja O’Donohoe at (805)391-0127.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Atascadero Elks Lodge Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Location:
The Elks Lodge
1516 El Camino Real 
Atascadero, CA

Date and Time:
Saturday, Jun. 19
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You can also donate to Kyndal’s GoFundMe page at gofundme.com and search “Help Kyndal Fight Brain Cancer”