Brave Like Mackenzie

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Brave Like Mackenzie Spreading joy into the lives of childhood cancer fighters and their families.

It’s very difficult for me to put into words how I feel every September.September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. A...
09/11/2026

It’s very difficult for me to put into words how I feel every September.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Awareness month for the disease that killed my child. The disease that took away a little girl who should be celebrating her 16th birthday this month.

How ironic.

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking to some wonderful nurses at CW about Mackenzie’s journey and battle, and ultimately, what it’s like as your child dies and what life looks like in the aftermath.

One of the things I share every time I do this education is one of the most impactful things her medical team ever said to me. They told me they knew I was making the hardest, most impossible decisions, with the most love for Mackenzie in my mind.

That has always stayed with me.

Because if you’ve never held your screaming child down while their port was accessed…

If you’ve never kissed their head while they are in four point restraints and bolted to a radiation table, and then had to walk to the other side of the door because it’s “too dangerous”…

If you’ve never had to sign DNR papers for your child…

If you’ve never birthed your child and then carried their ashes out a door in a box…

I don’t know that you will ever really know what this month means to so many of us.

It’s awareness month, but for families like ours, it’s also memories. It’s grief. It’s birthdays that should be happening. It’s remembering everything we wish we could forget and everything we could never forget if we tried.

I hate that Mackenzie’s birthday falls during the month that reminds me of the disease that took her from me.

But I will keep talking about her. I will keep telling her story. I will keep sharing what happened to her in hopes that it helps someone else, somehow.

And I sincerely hope that one day we have the miracle that no parent has to live this.

No parent should ever have to know what this feels like.

(thank you to Kisses From Keegan &Friends for the picture 🦋🎗️)

đź’› We are overwhelmed with gratitude for every person who rode, donated, bought a raffle ticket, shared a post, volunteer...
08/16/2026

đź’› We are overwhelmed with gratitude for every person who rode, donated, bought a raffle ticket, shared a post, volunteered, cheered us on, or simply showed up yesterday. None of what we are about to do would have been possible without you.

Because of your incredible generosity, we raised enough to:

💛 Bless Anissa’s family as they walk through the unimaginable.
🎄 Purchase a couple of Santa Chalets so childhood cancer families can make beautiful holiday memories together.
🎨 Purchase art supplies and comfort items for children and families at Children’s Wisconsin after we recently received a request for support.

And then, yesterday evening, our hearts broke.

At 8:06 PM, Anissa gained her forever healing. đź’›

Her mom’s words say it better than anything we could:
“No more pokes. No more hospital. No more doctors. And she can enjoy her beautiful long hair again.”

Please keep Anissa’s family wrapped in your love and prayers as they begin the heartbreaking journey of learning how to live in a world without their girl.

A big thank you to Jason, Carly, Joan, Jasmine, all of our wonderful raffle basket donors, our supporters and more….

You helped us turn grief into comfort.
You helped us turn heartbreak into memories.
You helped us remind families that they are not alone.

Thank you will never be enough. đź’›

We are SO excited! 💛🏍️We’ll see you all soon! We can’t wait to come together for a day full of fun, community, and most ...
08/15/2026

We are SO excited! 💛🏍️

We’ll see you all soon! We can’t wait to come together for a day full of fun, community, and most importantly—raising money for childhood cancer and supporting Anissa’s family. 💛

🏍️ $25 per couple riding their bike
🚌 $20 per person if you’d rather ride the bus and chill!
10:30am we head out!

Whether you ride, ride along, or simply stop by to show your support, we’re so grateful to have you with us.

Let’s show Anissa and her family just how much love surrounds them. 💛

See you soon! 🫶🏼

💛 ONE WEEK.Just one week from today, we’ll gather for our Ride for Hope.And this year, I find myself struggling to find ...
08/08/2026

đź’› ONE WEEK.

Just one week from today, we’ll gather for our Ride for Hope.

And this year, I find myself struggling to find the right words.

Because one week from now, we’ll be surrounded by motorcycles, laughter, hugs, raffle tickets and a community that comes together every year to fight childhood cancer.

But behind all of that is a little girl named Anissa who is spending her final days making memories with the people she loves most.

And that changes everything.

Anissa will soon join Mackenzie in gaining her wings. Two little girls whose lives should have looked so very different. Two families who never should have had to learn how to say goodbye to their daughters.

There are no words that can make this fair.
No fundraiser that can fix it.
No amount of money that can change what is coming.

But there is love.

And there is community.

And there is something incredibly powerful about showing a family, in the middle of the unimaginable, that they are surrounded by people who care.

So next Saturday, whether you ride or not, please come see us at Crazy Train.

Buy a raffle ticket. Take a chance on the 50/50. Have a drink. Give someone a hug. Sit with us for a while.

And help us raise funds that will allow Anissa’s family to make memories now and have a little support for whatever comes after.

Because when we can’t change the outcome, we can still change how a family experiences it.

We can give them memories.
We can give them moments.
We can give them support.
We can remind them they are loved.

One week.

One week to show Anissa’s family that our community will stand beside them.

One week to love them a little louder.

One week to help carry a piece of a heartbreak no family should ever have to carry.

Please show up.

For Anissa.
For her family.
For Mackenzie.
For every child who has been taken by this terrible disease. 💛🎗️

Over 15lbs of pop tabs dropped off this morning at ! Woot woot! Friendly reminder that keeping your pop tabs is an EASY ...
05/23/2026

Over 15lbs of pop tabs dropped off this morning at ! Woot woot!

Friendly reminder that keeping your pop tabs is an EASY way to support kids and teens in the fight. does an amazing job loving on all medically complex families who need a home away from home during treatment.

You are always welcome to drop off on Courtney and Pat’s doorstep; they will even take them in for you. ❤️‍🩹🎗️🦋

Recently, we learned of two sweet little ones walking a path far too familiar to us — both diagnosed with the same cance...
05/17/2026

Recently, we learned of two sweet little ones walking a path far too familiar to us — both diagnosed with the same cancer Kenz had. One is bravely in the middle of treatment, while the other has completed treatment and is now navigating the transition back to school while facing many lasting side effects.

Because of your support, we are able to step in and support these families when it matters most.

This package is heading out to one of these precious fighters, filled with learning support tools and a few fun items to help encourage fine and gross motor development. And for the little one still in the middle of her battle, we’re already working on something special to bring comfort, encouragement, and support.

We can never thank you enough for continuing to believe in and love Brave Like Mackenzie. Every box we send is filled with love — from you, because of you. Your support allows us to show these families they are not walking this road alone, and we are endlessly grateful.

We want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in our Chipping Away at Childhood Cancer event two weeks ag...
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.

February 15th… International Childhood Cancer Day.I had an awareness post planned. Statistics. Facts. Progress.But this ...
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.

World Cancer Day 2026Tonight held so much of what this day represents.đź’› We sang Happy Birthday to a newly 10-year-old wh...
02/05/2026

World Cancer Day 2026

Tonight held so much of what this day represents.

đź’› 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.
đź’› 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. 💛

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