Here’s how the Cordell community is rallying to help teen, his family
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FIGHT FOR MASON -
TOP: Mason Curnett sits in his hospital bed and tries to eat to keep his strength up. The teen has anaplastic large cell lymphoma. ABOVE: Mason and his family: front row, from left, Daniel and Dakota Harjo, mom Amber Vanskyper, Hayden Stout. Back row, from left: Mason and Jake Vanskyper. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS -
Mason Curnett rests in his hospital bed. He’s been undergoing chemotherapy treatments. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Cordell community is rallying around 15-year-old Mason Curnett and his family.
Mason of Cordell recently was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma and immediately started chemotherapy.
Brittney Neeley organized a GoFundMe page to help support Mason and his family.
The rallying cry across social media is Fight For Mason Curnett.
“Mason and my son, Jayden, became good friends through school and football (Mason’s favorite sport),” Neeley said. “He comes to our house often, so we got to be pretty close to him and his brothers.”
Jayden Neeley and Mason’s girlfriend Maddie Maddox have organized donation jars and put them in stores like Riggs Nutrition, Dazed and Confused, Quick-N-Eze, Shorty’s, Subway, United, Ace, Tractor Supply and Wheeler Ford.
Mason’s friend, Addison Rich, and her mom Amber are organizing T-shirts as a fundraiser, and Tonya Venable, owner of Shorty Bauman’s, has offered a bake sale to also help with funds, Neeley said.
That bake sale will be Wednesday through Friday at Shorty’s, and organizers are asking for help from all bakers who are interested in helping. You can bring baked goods to Shorty’s.
“With the running back and forth to the city, having to take off work to do so, we are definitely worried about the costs of daily life at home (Mason has four brothers), travel and unexpected medical expenses,” Neeley said.
On Jan. 20, Mason’s mom, Amber Vanskyper, said on the GoFundMe page that Mason had lymph nodes popping up all over his body – in his neck, shoulders, chest, pelvic area, back, and on the back of his head. They did biopsies on lymph nodes, bone marrow, a spinal tap, and put in a port. He was in a lot of pain, very emotional, confused and dizzy.
The results came back with the cancer diagnosis the next day. He’ll be in the hospital for at least another week as his cancer is a fairly rare but curable blood cancer.
Mason has a long road ahead of him, as he will be receiving chemotherapy at the hospital, then going home for two weeks (as long as his temp stays below 101), then back to the hospital for five days. That cycle will repeat as long as everything goes well.
Over the weekend, Mason was really weak, his mother wrote on the GoFundMe page. He needed help getting up out of bed and standing. But Mason showed his strength and was able to eat regular food and was in better spirits, she wrote. He faced another minor surgery to readjust the port after it shifted.
Meanwhile, people are showing their support by donating whatever they can.
Tommy Hamilton and his family donated to the fundraiser.
“We used to live close to this young man,” he wrote on the fundraising page. “My daughter Jayci wanted Mason to know she was helping out also. Tina, Jayci, and I are praying for you Mason. We are asking that God place his healing hand on your body and take this cancer away. Godspeed young man.”
HOW TO HELP
You can donate on the GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraising-for-mason-family
Through Monday, organizers had raised $1,350 of their $5,000 goal.
You can also find more information at https://www.facebook. com/FightforMason-Curnett