MANKATO — Mitch Allore was busy running around on Black Friday getting hockey skates sharpened. When one of the children getting sharpened skates went through what son Maddux did, it’s not a drudgery.
You don’t expect your 3-year-old’s stomach ache to turn into a months-long cancer battle. But for Maddux’s mom and dad, Mitch and Lindsey, that’s exactly what happened. Through early detection and good care, Maddux is now a healthy third-grader at Jefferson Elementary who excels in hockey, baseball and football.
Maddux will serve as the 2025 Ambassador for the seventh annual Mustache Bash hosted by the Jonathan Zierdt Cancer Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation. Always taking place on Nov. 30, Sunday’s event will be a 7-11 a.m. brunch at the WowZone.
“We’ve been featuring good survival stories, and this year we thought it would be fun to feature a 9-year-old who went through the cancer journey early,” said Maureen Gustafson, MAF donor relations and programs director.
“More and more, the outcomes of cancer are positive due to innovations in medical science and treatment, and early detection,” she add. This reminds people to be hopeful, which is the mission of the Jonathan Zierdt Cancer Fund.
“When he was three years old, he was complaining of a stomach ache and wasn’t eating very good,” his dad said. “We just thought it was the typical picky-eater kid.”
A test for strep turned up negative, he said, and with antibiotics Maddux seemed to be getting better and eating. A week later the pain returned, and when Lindsey was rubbing his belly she felt a lump below his rib cage.
After an exam in Mankato later that morning, a trip was made to Rochester where Maddux was diagnosed with a baseball-sized cancerous Wilms tumor on his kidney. By surgery on Thursday it was softball-sized, so he also lost that kidney.
With the help of friends, family and Ronald McDonald House — and despite the onset of COVID — the family endured the process, Maddux rang the bell for his last cancer treatment and returned home.
“He’s nine years old now and just loving life,” Allore said. While Maddux may not fully understand what the event on Sunday is about, Allore — who also serves locally on the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey board and the Pink and Blue Ribbon Foundation Board — said he will likely realize it when he gets there.
The brunch replaces the usual evening event, held last year at the Historic Post Office. In addition to the brunch, available for $20, there will be games like an old-fashioned cake walk and surprises. Colby Straka will be performing.
While it is an opportunity to bring awareness to cancer at the end of “Movember,” when men are encouraged to grow beards in recognition of men’s health issues, it’s also the chance to show appreciation to those who help during cancer treatment.
The Jonathan Zierdt Cancer Fund provides specially designed care packages to be distributed to patients diagnosed with cancer. It includes a blanket, journal and pen and cancer cookbook.
“We have such a great group of volunteers in the region that help us pack those cancer boxes, and all of our medical facilities are great partners in working with families when they get a diagnosis,” Gustafson said. “So, there’s just a lot of people involved.”