Join Mackenzie's Prayer Warriors!!
When Mack Was Diagnosed    Mackenzie was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 15 months old in January of 2004. She had been running a fever for several weeks… back and forth to the doctors and many tests. I’ll never forget the day she was diagnosed. We were in the emergency room and Mackenzie began walking for the first time. That was the last time she walked for over a year. I knew something was seriously wrong by the flurry of activity around the nurse’s station. The wait seemed eternal before the doctor came in to our small cubicle. The long look on his face said it all, but the words hurt even more, “I have some very bad news to share. We believe your daughter has leukemia”. My heart sank. The first year of Mack’s treatment was horrific and she spent much of it in the hospital. She had complication after complication and her little body wasn’t tolerating the chemotherapy. Finally, by God’s grace we made it to the “maintenance phase” of therapy where the chemo becomes less intense and we celebrated. But our celebration didn’t last long. Five months into maintenance, at a routine check up the word “relapse” crushed our world. We all wondered how Mackenzie’s little body would survive a chemotherapy regime of much greater intensity and how we could hold up starting back at ground zero.
How Mack Got Started Watching AI  I never imagined that watching American Idol would become a sort of “therapy” for our family. In the past years, we’ve always enjoyed watching, but this year was different. With Mackenzie being so sick, and her immune system depleted we were homebound with the exception of our hospitalizations. We longed to do some “normal” family things together, but it was impossible with Mack’s condition. The kids love American Idol and when the season began, we found ourselves nestled on the couch together, briefly leaving the reality of our sorrow and enjoying ourselves during that hour. Even Mackenzie would perk up and this, to us, became a gift.
Her Response to Ace   To this day, I honestly don’t know what it was that drew Mack to Ace, but he makes her light up. She began talking about him during the week in anticipation of seeing him perform. Every picture of him that flashed across the screen brought a huge smile to her face. And on days when she was so weak from throwing up and the brutal effects of chemotherapy, not wanting to interact… the sound of the AI music sparked something inside her, knowing she’d see Ace. Too weak to even open her eyes at times, as soon as she heard Ace’s voice, she’d muster up the strength to sit up and smile and sometimes even laugh. For a mom watching her child endure so much, my heart overflowed with gratitude for this gift.
How We Got Set Up to See Ace  We were at Cincinnati Children’s for radiation during the April 19th show when Ace fell short of votes. At first Mack thought he’d won and was cheering and clapping. I knew she’d be devastated when I explained Ace wouldn’t be performing on AI anymore and she was. Crying uncontrollably, her response struck a funny bone in me because I was amazed that a three year old could have so much love, affection and devotion for someone she didn’t even know. I tried everything to console her, but the tears still fell. Then out of desperation to lift her spirits, I told her I’d take her to see Ace at the AI concert when they went on tour. It worked… instant smile. I was shocked and at the same time realized I wasn’t going to get out of this promise. After I purchased tickets, and heard Mackenzie talk daily about meeting her “boyfwend”, I started thinking she may be disappointed because in her mind, she thought she was going to see him up close as she did on TV. And that’s when we contacted Bear Necessities, a local pediatric cancer organization that grants small miracles to kids with cancer.
Meeting Ace & Our Thoughts The day of the concert was amazing. As soon as we walked into the building the kids were wild with excitement. First stop, the souvenir counter where Mack had bolted over to see an 8 x 10 glossy of Ace. That picture never left her hand. She was hugging it, kissing it and waiving it in the air the whole concert. As soon as Ace came out on stage, Mackenzie could hardly contain herself, jumping up and down, screaming, “dares my boyfwend”. The binoculars were glued to her eyes and she was in her glory. Meeting Ace after the concert took her love for him to a whole new level. The room was full of people, but Mack left us all behind, weaving in and out of the many legs that towered over her, making her way right up to Ace. He was so tender with her, and genuinely cared. He took the time to sit on the floor and interact with her. And for a little girl at the tender age of three who’s endured more than most of us will in a lifetime, that was special and even magical. I began to see in him, what she saw all along… a warm, loving, caring, compassionate person. Thank you Ace!
This is how Mack feels now.  Ace has now become a part of our everyday life. Mack’s crush has intensified and almost everything she does requires his approval. She’ll always ask first, “mom, Acey like dat?” Of course when it comes to veggies and bath time… we reassure her that “he does!” Mackenzie is back in the maintenance phase of therapy and enjoying a little more normalcy to her life. She will continue to receive chemotherapy for another 10 months and we will continue to hold our breath at each check up. As for the future, no one knows, but today is a great day and we are thankful for it!