Brave Like Mackenzie

03/28/2026

We want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in our Chipping Away at Childhood Cancer event two weeks ago. We were able to give several thousand dollars out to families with children in the fight.

We are also working on finishing up Liam’s gift package. Pat, even with his Cub’s loving heart, picked out a nice Churrio jersey along with some awesome Wisconsin teams’ themed gear.

The week after our golf event, we learned about a patient who was diagnosed with the same cancer as Kenz at a young age. Thanks to the amazing fundraisers that , , and Shelby’s hosted, we were able to immediately jump into action and are working on gathering good shoes, PT and OT themed games and activities and more. All of this right before Mackenzie’s angelversary. We like to think this was her sign of how proud she is of us all for honoring her.

02/15/2026

February 15th… International Childhood Cancer Day.

I had an awareness post planned. Statistics. Facts. Progress.

But this morning I logged on and saw that a little girl named Charlie died yesterday. Charlie had the same cancer as Mackenzie. She had relapsed multiple times. I watched her journey from afar, like I do so many relapsed medulloblastoma warriors, holding hope in my heart: Will this be the one who survives?

Today I am saying Charlie’s name. And Mackenzie’s.

Instead of statistics, I’m giving you a picture of Mackenzie from her last week of life. She had just told me how lucky she was to have me as her mom. My beautiful girl knew she was dying and wanted to give me one last piece of love.

These are the children we are losing.

We celebrate progress. We share survival rates. But it is not enough.

It will never be enough until every child who rings the bell does so with the promise of a healthy future.
It will never be enough until parents aren’t memorizing smiles because they know they are running out.
It will never be enough until no parent has to bury their child.

Awareness is not enough. Action is.

For Charlie. For Mackenzie. For all of them.

02/05/2026

It’s not the losing of hair, it’s the losing of confidence and self-esteem in being “different” while you are also battling for your life. The videos of her dancing so happily make me smile, because I love seeing her being silly, having fun with herself, and lacking any inhibitions. 🥰 It’s a good day to dance.

02/05/2026

World Cancer Day 2026

Tonight held so much of what this day represents.

💛 We sang Happy Birthday to a newly 10-year-old who has known the world of childhood cancer for seven years of her life.
💛 We cheered the end of chemo for a fighter who has battled for more than 800 days at Children’s.
💛 We said Mackenzie’s name out loud—honoring her journey and acknowledging the heartbreaking reality that far too many children are still dying from pediatric cancer.
💛 Together, we raised $3,000 for Wisconsin families walking this road.

Deep gratitude to Liz, Caleb, and Jason for being incredible bartenders, to Joan and Lisa for your unbeatable 50/50 skills, and to John at Natty Oaks for extraordinary generosity—opening up the bar for the evening and matching funds.

And to everyone who showed up, donated, shared, or simply held space—thank you.

It may be a little cheesy, but one of my favorite lyrics I sing up to Kenz comes from Pink Skies by Zach Bryan:

“If you could see ’em now, you’d be proud…
Your funeral was beautiful…
I bet God heard you comin’.”

I know God heard her coming—because my cry here announced her arrival there. I have no doubt she sees us now. And while her funeral was beautiful, the work we continue to do in her absence makes her even more proud. 💛

02/02/2026

Neuroblastoma fighters inspire us every day. 💛 We have had the privilege to know multiple of these brave fighters: some who are celebrating remission and praying for healthy futures, some who are heartbreakingly no longer here with us.

We are so thankful for the researchers who are dedicated to finding a cure for this cancer that accounts for about 10% of all childhood cancers and roughly 15% of pediatric cancer deaths.

We continue to remain hopeful for a day when no child suffers from this horrible disease.

02/02/2026

Neuroblastoma fighters inspire us every day. 💛 We have had the privilege to know multiple of these brave fighters: some who are celebrating remission and praying for healthy futures, some who are heartbreakingly no longer here with us.

We are so thankful for the researchers who are dedicated to finding a cure for this cancer that accounts for about 10% of all childhood cancers and roughly 15% of pediatric cancer deaths.

We continue to remain hopeful for a day when no child suffers from this horrible disease.

🎗️ Today is Neuroblastoma Awareness Day

About 800 cases are diagnosed in the United States every year. High-risk neuroblastoma requires intense treatment—including chemotherapy, surgery, stem cell transplants, radiation, and immunotherapy—that often lasts for more than 18 months. Current neuroblastoma research is focused on improving the treatment, survival rates, and long-term quality of life for children fighting this disease.

Together, we can fuel progress. Join the MACC Fund in supporting life-saving research and giving families hope.

01/22/2026

We can't wait for Brave Like Mackenzie Guest Bartenders - On World Cancer Day, Wednesday, February 4, 2026 from 5–8 PM, Natty Oaks is handing the bar over to two absolute legends — Jason Darling and Caleb Vogel — for a cause that hits home. During their guest bartending shift, 100% of their tips will be donated directly to the Brave Like Mackenzie Foundation to support childhood cancer research. Great guys. A great restaurant. An even greater cause. Stop in, grab a drink, tip heavy, and stand with us as we raise money, raise awareness, and kick cancer’s ass. It's happening Wednesday February 4!

12/02/2025

Our snow ❄️ angel wants to first say “Thank you!” (really, listen til the end 😉) this Giving Tuesday for all the support this holiday season in collecting books for the Children’s Wisconsin - MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

And if you are still looking for a way to bless others this Tuesday and havent checked out our book wishlist, we would love if you’d consider sending a story 📕 to a patient. I ordered over 41 books myself today… there are some wonderful deals that allow you to stay within your giving budget and make a HUGE impact. 💫

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1P85PVE6NF6YI?ref_=wl_share

11/08/2025

Many people have asked, and YES ✨ we are doing our annual holiday book 📕 drive!

These books are donated to the Children’s Wisconsin - MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders for patients and their families to have while enduring chemo, transfusions, sickness, and more. In a world filled with technology and all its nonstop notifications, there is still nothing like cozying up to a book and getting lost in the pages.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1P85PVE6NF6YI?ref_=wl_share

There are a wide range of options because, yes, babies have cancer and, yes, teens and young adults also have childhood cancer. Also, there are a lot of board books because these are helpful to staff like Child Life to read to kiddos when parents aren’t able to be there and then wipe and wash for the next room.

And fun suggestion! Allow your kiddo(s) to pick a book to donate! Share with them “the why” and allow them to show their love and empathy this holiday season by gifting to another kiddo not blessed with good health this holiday.

We appreciate the support!!

08/18/2025

Thank you so much for making our third annual Ride for Hope 🏍️ a beautiful success. We raised over $7,000 dollars for local childhood cancer 🎗️ families, collected over 104 decks of Uno cards to be donated to and most importantly, shared the message of why supporting childhood cancer families is so important.

Thank you to Jason and Carly for being organizer extraordinaires. To Joan, Jasmine, Michelle and Kaicey for your volunteering expertise. To Troy and Crazy Train for being wonderful hosts. To Caleb for securing a grand raffle prize for us. To Dawn for coming and speaking about how Brave Like Mackenzie made an impact during your family’s fight. To Lisa for her 50/50 saleswoman power. To everyone who donated raffle items, purchased tickets and supported… you are so appreciated.

And to Mackenzie… We know you were with us yesterday shining down your love. A dear friend of mine was talking to their kids about another MJDS family recently impacted by childhood cancer, and when she said your name, Kenz, her son said he remembered you because you “helped people.” As your mom, I can’t tell how proud I am of the impact you made during your short time here. We work hard to honor your example and will continue until we see you again.

Love to all

08/08/2025

If you have two seconds today, please go to this original post and comment some wonderful encouragement and kudos for these Survivors.

They have been through so much in their short lives and are pushing themselves even further by showing how strong they are as athletes after all their bodies have endured.