Most cancer survivors would love nothing more than to put their cancer journey behind them and never have to think about the horrific disease that stole years of their lives. But not Miracle Kid Madisyn Lang.
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The 16-year-old from Wisconsin and her family recently held a fundraiser for the Marshfield Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, where Madisyn received treatment for two-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia just days before her 13th birthday. The goal was not only to raise money for the hospital and offer hope to other cancer families but to also shine a light on the medical professionals and staff who were with Madisyn and her family every step of the way.
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“The moment we walked in that night into the emergency room to be admitted, they were with us the entire journey. [They were there] from the beginning until the end of her treatment,” LeAnn Lang, Madisyn’s mother, said. “I love that hospital – the people, the staff – they are amazing.”
For LeAnn especially, it was the nurses who would cry with her and tell her she was doing a great job. For Madisyn, it was child life specialists who brought comfort, care, compassion and even a little bit of fun to the difficult treatment process. In fact, the child life specialists at Marshfield made such an impact on Madisyn’s life that she’s planning to go to school to become a certified child life specialist when she graduates.
Still, none of those future plans would be possible without the lifesaving cancer treatment that helped Madisyn get to the point where she could ring the bell on the way out of the hospital after her final treatment two years ago.
“Your world stops [when you get a cancer diagnosis]. You go from having a family lifestyle of planning things… to we don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring.” LeAnn explained. “That was such a proud moment for us as her parents to see her [ringing the bell]. But I think for Maddy, it was very emotional. She beat it. She was done.”
And while the childhood cancer club is one that nobody wants to be in, there’s something special about the way that these families rally around each other. One of the most meaningful moments for Madisyn during her cancer journey was when a family friend gave her a prayer card. The friend was also a childhood cancer survivor and wanted to pass along the thing that had given her hope day in and day out so many years ago.
“Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I together can’t handle. Amen.”
“She passed that on to Maddy and said, ‘I’m passing this on to you. It is now your turn to pray and stay positive,’” LeAnn said. “And we prayed that prayer every single day.”
That’s not to say everything was suddenly easy. But the Langs chose to rely on their faith and see the good in their situation, believing that God had a plan no matter what.
“You can’t change it, let’s beat it, and that’s been our motto from day one,” LeAnn said. “Focus on the good, never give up. You’re going to have bad days, but you need to focus on the positive.”
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Marissa Mayer is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her work has been featured in Christian Post, The Daily Signal, and Intellectual Takeout. Mayer has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.
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