A note from Mackenzie's Father:

My daughter has a rarest form of pediatric brain cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). This cancerous tumor attaches itself to the brain’s nerve center, making it inoperable. The only way to fight DIPG is through risky clinical trials found only in a few hospitals across the United States.

Due to its rarity, DIPG has not received adequate funding therefore the survival rate is less than 2%. Most families can’t afford the costs associated with treatments, and are forced to watch their child slowly pass on.

Mackenzie is currently enrolled in a clinical trial at Sloan Kettering Hospital where she has undergone 2 brain surgeries. The surgeries involved inserting a catheter through her skull and directly into her brainstem where chemotherapy could be administered directly into her tumor. Side effects from her last surgery left her unable to walk, and her fine motor skills were impacted as well.

“Time” means everything to my wife and I when it comes to our daughter. All we want is more time with her; one more month, one more week, one more day. We are not ready to lose her. Raising money puts the ball back in our court so to speak, and allows us the opportunity to afford her more time.

Please visit the GoFundMe page: gofundme.com/mackenziebennett