A Boston boy is fighting leukemia, but that's not stopping him from helping out other children who are spending the holidays in the hospital.
Mighty Max, as he is known, and his mother Amy are making sure kids at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston still get to celebrate and have started a toy drive as a way to pay it forward.
"He had been sick for a number of weeks and that was not the diagnosis was expecting at all,” Amy Mendez said.
Max spent his 7th birthday in the hospital getting cancer treatment after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and starting chemo right at the Dana Farber.
To cheer Max up, he'd get gifts from the pediatric resource room.
“If he had a bad day or he wasn't feeling well they would come in with a package and he would instantly be happy,” his mother said.
Now Amy and Max want to give back. They've started a toy drive to restock the resource room.
"We just want to pay it forward. We just want to be able to give back where we can,” Amy said.
The Mendez family has sponsored and volunteered at blood drives, walks, and a fundraiser for childhood cancer charity Alex's Lemonade Stand.
"It will make other people really happy,” Max said.
The toy drive was originally expected to end Thanksgiving weekend, but Amy said it’s been so successful she has decided to extend it.
To learn more about the fundraiser, visit the Might Max's Mega Toy Drive Facebook page.
About the Author
