Dreams of Visiting Father’s Marine Base AND where he was born in Oahu, Hawaii
Jamie’s Dream Team wants to raise money to fund 13-year-old Maddox Hyde’s trip to where he was born in Oahu, Hawaii. Maddox was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma when he was six-years-old, and has spent the last seven years undergoing painful treatments for the disease.
In October 2010, doctors found a grapefruit-sized tumor on Maddox’s right adrenal gland. Within a few days, he started chemotherapy and underwent a bone marrow transplant, radiation, and antibody therapy. In December 2013, a tumor was discovered on his right hip bone. After 17 cycles of a trial treatment, the cancer went into remission — two days later, Maddox was paralyzed. Now, in addition to Neuroblastoma, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome.
After 16 months of strenuous and painful physical therapy, Maddox could finally walk, talk, and live something like a normal life. Just as his family was beginning to believe that their child was safe, routine scans revealed clusters of Neuroblastoma in the bone marrow of his spine. That was on July 10, 2017. Though doctors are hesitant to give Maddox chemotherapy this time, the child has been accepted into a new treatment study. Medical professionals think this study may prolong his life.
His father, a U.S. Marine, was stationed in Oahu, Hawaii, when Maddox was born.
“Going through everything he’s gone through…for the last seven years, Maddox has had nothing like a normal life,??? his mother, Kristi Williams, said. “For years, he’s seen pictures of all the places we took him to as a baby. He wants so badly to be able to go back there and see where he was born, see the base where we lived, and just experience what he believes to be his culture.???
The community of Du Bois has raised approximately $8,000 to fund Maddox’s dream trip to Hawaii. Unfortunately, plane tickets and the cost of living in Hawaii are very expensive. Kristi and Jamie’s Dream Team are looking for a little help to make Maddox’s dream come true.