By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Tuesday morning the St. John Lutheran School fourth and fifth grade class, accompanied by their teacher Mrs. Ruthann Breitwisch, presented Madelyn Odegards uncle and Mighty Maddy’s Mission Board Member, David Jesperson with a $300 donation.
According to Breitwisch, after discussing Mighty Maddy’s Mission with her class they were very eager to raise money for the cause. “They were very excited,” adds Breitwisch, “They went home and told their parents and their other family and ended up raising $246.” Mrs. Breitwisch along with her husband and St. John Assistant Principal John Breitwisch would fund the remaining $54 to make the donation an even $300.
Madelyn Odegard was a very sweet girl according to her grandmother and Mighty Maddy’s Mission Board Member Flori Jesperson, “She was a happy go lucky little girl,” said Jesperson, “She was diagnosed with cancer at six years old and was never a complainer about any of the awful things she had to go through. She was always laughing and thinking about others and loved her two cats Marley and Midnight. She wanted to be a scientist and find a cure for cancer. She was just a sweet little girl who was taken from us way too soon.” Madelyn passed away on Aug. 15, 2017, after a three year battle with cancer.
Mighty Maddy’s Mission was implemented at the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield in May of 2018 by Maddys parents, Josh and Heidi Odegard. It was started to help children and families who suffer from cancer. According to Josh and Heidi, Maddy used to make goody bags for newly admitted cancer patients. They also said that Maddy was a firm believer that each milestone toward beating cancer should be celebrated, which is how they came up with “Madelyn’s Sparkle Box”. Madelyn’s Sparkle Box is a box full of birthday party supplies and a gift for patients who had to spend their or their family members’ birthday at the hospital. They also provide a party box for children who complete their final treatment and get to go home and celebrate.
“Our main mission is Madelyn’s Sparkle Box because that was Maddy’s dream,” explains Jesperson, “The hospitals don’t have stuff for birthdays and this was Maddy’s idea, she wanted to do this. In Marshfield we also have a toy cart which is a huge box full of toys for kids aged 1-18, so if a kid is in there getting treatment or if they’re just having a hard time they can go and pick something out,”
According to Jesperson Mighty Maddy’s Mission also does family baskets, “Family baskets are for parents when their child is first diagnosed, because as a parent you don’t expect to be staying at the hospital. In the family basket there is a blanket, quarters for laundry, water bottles and snacks, but the most important thing is the pamphlet with all of the grants and information that Josh and Heidi found to help them. When a kid gets diagnosed with cancer the cancer world might be new to you, so you have to look for information and that is what the pamphlet is for.”
Jesperson also noted that Mighty Maddy’s Mission just launched at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay and will soon make its way to Madison.
Mighty Maddy’s Mission is always looking for new toys and birthday supplies as donations. For those who wish to donate or support Mighty Maddy’s Mission can do so by searching Mighty Maddy’s Mission on Facebook.