When Madelyn was born in 2018, her father, Matt, heard a story on the radio about children battling cancer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Deeply moved by the story, he decided to become a monthly donor, a Partner in Hope, in Madelyn’s name.
Matt and his wife Brittany continued this tradition when their second daughter, Addison, was born. At the time, they never imagined that one day they would need the very same hope they had supported.
In May 2023, when Madelyn was 5, she started complaining about frequent headaches. Brittany, who described Madelyn as dramatic at times, initially brushed it off. The timing often seemed suspicious, like when it happened right before preschool, so they even read her The Boy Who Cried Wolf as a lighthearted way to handle it.
However, the family took her for an eye exam, which didn’t show any problems with her vision. The doctor still recommended that they see her pediatrician. After a neurological exam, blood tests, and a CT scan, they were told the earliest they could get the scan was four days later.
That evening, the family skipped a rodeo because Madelyn’s headache seemed worse. The next day, at a birthday party, she asked to lie down in the car. That night, Madelyn vomited twice.
The next morning, they rushed her to the emergency room, where a CT scan revealed a mass the size of a golf ball in her brain.
Brittany rode in the ambulance with Madelyn to a nearby hospital with an oncology department. It felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from. Meanwhile, Matt took Addison to her grandmother’s house before following the ambulance.
A Life-Altering Diagnosis
The neurosurgeon who examined Madelyn was visibly emotional. The mass was diagnosed as medulloblastoma, a rare, cancerous brain tumor. It was causing the pressure on her brain that triggered the headaches and vomiting.
Just two days later, Madelyn underwent surgery to remove the tumor. The family waited anxiously for her to wake up, knowing the risks that brain surgery posed to her cognitive and physical abilities. When the neurosurgeon came to check on her, he picked up a stuffed pig someone had given her and asked, “Who’s this?”
Madelyn replied, “It’s Pizza.”
Worried that she might be confused, the doctor looked to Matt, who reassured him, “It’s OK — that’s the pig’s name!”
Fortunately, Madelyn came through the surgery just fine, but the family learned that survival rates for medulloblastoma were between 70-80%, and could drop as low as 60% if the cancer had spread. To ensure the best chance for her survival, she would need further treatment to target any remaining cancer cells.
Turning to St. Jude
Madelyn was referred to St. Jude, the very place Matt and Brittany had supported for years. “We believed in what they were doing,” Brittany said. “Now, we were counting on them to save our daughter.”
The family made the three-hour drive from their home in Tennessee to St. Jude, and Brittany felt a sense of peace as soon as they arrived. “We knew this was the place that was going to help Madelyn.”
Scans showed that Madelyn’s cancer hadn’t spread, and she was placed on a treatment plan developed through St. Jude’s SJMB12 clinical trial, which combined genetic testing and personalized care to treat medulloblastoma more effectively.
This approach wasn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment. Kids with less aggressive tumors received gentler therapy to protect their developing brains, while those with more aggressive tumors, like Madelyn’s, were given stronger treatments for the best shot at survival. This type of personalized care was the kind of hope her parents had always believed in.
A Challenging Journey
Madelyn’s treatment began with 30 rounds of proton therapy. Though she sometimes felt nauseous, she still played outside, riding trikes and scooters at the Ronald McDonald House. Brittany stayed with Madelyn in Memphis while Matt drove back and forth with Addison. Some weekends, Madelyn could go home to visit.
Two weeks into the treatment, Madelyn began losing her hair. She had her head shaved at the Family Commons salon, a space at St. Jude for families to unwind. “We thought she’d be upset,” Matt said. But surrounded by other kids going through the same experience, Madelyn took it in stride.
Later, Matt let Madelyn shave his head, and their friends — a dad and his two sons — did the same. “Bald is beautiful,” Madelyn declared. Even at 5, she was already showing her sense of style, wearing a neon yellow wig or a crocheted hat with a yarn braid.
In the midst of her treatment, Madelyn started kindergarten at the Imagine Academy at St. Jude, which helped bring some normalcy to an otherwise chaotic time. The family also bonded with other patient families, finding comfort in shared experiences. “We were all just fighting for our kids,” Brittany said. “That sense of community was huge for our healing.”
A New Beginning
Madelyn’s treatment continued with seven rounds of chemotherapy, each lasting 28 days. The chemotherapy was tougher than proton therapy, and Madelyn struggled with fevers and weight loss, dropping from over 50 pounds to around 40 pounds.
After nine months of treatment, Madelyn finally returned home on March 29, 2024, just in time to finish kindergarten with her classmates. The family embraced life with a new perspective, cherishing even the smallest moments.
“We’ve learned that you can get through anything when you have the right support,” Brittany said. “Our family and friends rallied around us when Madelyn got sick. We all came together for her.”
Matt and Brittany’s relationship also grew stronger, despite the physical distance. “Even if we couldn’t be together, we made it work,” Matt said. “If you need me in Memphis, I’ll come. If you miss Addie, I’ll bring her over.”
Hope for the Future
Now 8 years old, Madelyn — or “Maddie Rea” as she’s known — is thriving in second grade. She’s a caring, loving, and compassionate child, with a big heart. She’s still a fashionista, rocking flare-bottomed pants and eye-catching outfits. Her parents sometimes suggest toning it down, but Madelyn isn’t worried about what others think. She’s confident in who she is.
Despite her recovery, Brittany and Matt still worry whenever Madelyn gets a headache. “Childhood cancer never truly ends,” Brittany explained. “The fear is always there.”
But they’re determined not to let cancer define Madelyn. “We want her to be a normal kid,” Brittany said. “But I hope she wears her experience with pride.”
One morning, as Matt brushed Addison’s hair, Madelyn asked, “Can you put mine in a ponytail, too?”
Matt smiled. Her hair had finally grown long enough.
Giving Back
Madelyn and her family continue to give back to St. Jude, the place that gave them hope when they needed it most. Every three months, Madelyn returns for checkups, and the girls look forward to their visits. During her treatment, Brittany organized a toy drive that collected about 300 items for St. Jude’s inpatient floors and clinics. She also donated a scooter for physical therapy to the Ronald McDonald House.
Matt regularly donates platelets at St. Jude’s donation center. “The transformation Madelyn experienced when she got a transfusion was incredible,” he said. “It gave her energy again.”
The family has also raised funds through social media and participated in St. Jude events. They’ve shared their story on The Bobby Bones Show’s annual St. Jude Radiothon, the same radio show that first inspired them to become Partners in Hope.
They are still deeply involved with St. Jude and, more than ever, they understand the power of hope.
