Max Joy Update - May 2024

Dear Family and Friends,

Since our last update, Max has been spreading acts of joy to others in various ways. These acts of service to others have been crucial to helping us grieve our little boy, as the one-year anniversary of Max’s death is today, May 17th. 

In the last year, we have received generous donations from countless family and friends--even some people we do not know. This has helped us fulfill a promise we made to Max in his last moments: The world is going to know who you are, Max Roeker. In the next year, we want to make even more impactful donations to even more people. 

Here are some of the ways we’ve been spreading joy since our last update:

At the holidays, we donated meals to over 50 families in need. They were able to enjoy a warm meal together with their loved ones, something every person should get to experience during the season of joy.

We donated a power wheel for a little girl named Liv and her little brother, Liam. Liv is battling Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare genetic degenerative brain disorder. The disease, as her parents Erin and Tyler put it, is “the worst disease you’ve probably never heard of. It’s like Alzheimer's, but in children. It is 100% fatal.” The disease will take over Liv’s ability to speak, walk, and develop typically. The power wheel Liv and Liam’s parents chose has a remote that they can use to control the vehicle. This way, even if Liv cannot steer or push the gas on her own, she still feels the joy of driving on her own. If you are interested in learning more about Olivia and her disease, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/pvzfz-saving-liv. 

We donated meal gift cards to a 17-year-old girl battling B-Cell ALL leukemia, the same cancer Max had. The gift cards we received to grab a quick lunch or to provide Max with something other than hospital food while we were admitted were wonderful, so we knew they would be helpful to a teen in the same position. The cards were received with great gratitude.

In February, we learned of a little one-year-old boy who was undergoing open heart surgery to fix a hole in his heart that had been there since he was born. Max Joy provided gift cards to help ease some of the meal burden for his family while he was in surgery and recovery. Around the same time, we learned of a 32-year-old mom of three young children who found out she had neuroendocrine cancer in her pancreas and liver. As she is receiving treatment at Mayo Clinic away from her young family, Max Joy purchased gas gift cards for the commute and a Marriott gift card so her family can stay near her as she receives treatment. 

In late April, we were told about a young man who is 20 and has osteosarcoma. He first got it in 2020 and beat it, but it came back. He is looking for clinical trials and different combinations of chemo and other drugs to hopefully buy him more time. On a recent family trip, Max Joy picked him and his family up in a limo and drove them to Top Golf. Afterward, they went to a flight simulator where he got a chance to fly the plane. For that night, he and his family weren’t in the throes of sadness; instead, they got to experience a fun night out together doing something that he loved.

Recently, Max Joy connected with a family whose 10-year-old is fighting relapsed anaplastic Ependymoma. He’s had four brain surgeries and has undergone 60 rounds of radiation, the last 30 to his full brain and spine. Their family loves to watch and play sports, but since his surgeries, his reaction time and hand-eye coordination have slowed. The family has been having fun learning to golf as a sport they can enjoy together, including his younger brother and sister. Max Joy sponsored a round of golf at Luxe Golf Bays so they could enjoy a night of family fun together.

And finally, we will leave you with the words of someone who has received some of your generous donations to Max Joy. We donated a Walmart gift card to a woman whose husband is battling Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma. After learning that what they thought was a pulled chest muscle was actually cancer, this family’s life turned upside down. The wife took on full-time care responsibilities for her husband and their two children, but also has to work full time to support their family. When she received the gift card to help them offset costs for the month, she wrote, “Asking for help…it feels awkward. I feel guilty. Not until someone helps me do I realize how good that actually feels. Kindness helps because it shows people care. If only for a few minutes, there is a relief feeling that runs through me. When I opened the gift card from you to Walmart, I was ovewhelmed…there are not enough words to say thank you. I wanted to tell you my story so you could hopefully hear how your kindness for someone you don’t even know leaves me with hope…and, oh yeah, I almost forgot--JOY, I felt joy, which I haven’t felt in a long time. And these feelings all happened to me because of Max. THAT is something really special.”

P.S. If you come across someone in life--anyone--who is in need of some joy, please let us know. Max is waiting with a smile on his face.

-Andy, Laura, Harper & Tess

Max Joy Update – December 2023

Dear family and friends,

The outpouring of support and generosity towards Max Joy has been nothing short of extraordinary. Your contributions have not only lifted our spirits but have allowed us to extend Max's legacy of joy to those facing their own struggles.

With your support, we've been able to take meaningful actions that resonate deeply with our mission to spread joy and goodness. Your support has enabled us to sponsor a cleaning service for several months for a courageous single mother who is facing her own battle with cancer.  Max Joy has provided her with a sense of relief during such a challenging time, allowing her to focus on her health and her family. 

A father battling metastatic melanoma is currently in a wheelchair because his cancer has spread to the point that he is not mobile. Thanks to generous donations to Max Joy, we are providing their family with a snow removal service to get through the winter and take one crucial thing off their plate.

A little girl in Mequon, who, like Max, is battling leukemia, felt Max’s love by receiving a bounce house to help aid her physical therapy and give her something to do when she can’t be exposed to germs this winter.

Another precious little girl in Green Bay fighting a similar battle to Max has received the gift of a Big Wheels jeep, providing her with moments of happiness amidst her courageous fight.  Having experienced firsthand how these small, yet meaningful, distractions can uplift spirits, we're honored to bring these moments to other people.

Lastly, we wanted to give back to the American Family Children's Hospital Pediatric Care Unit in Madison, the place where Max received his care. The Child Life Specialists at AFCH try to make the hospital a more tolerable place for children to be, and we have partnered with them to identify how we can support them during the holiday season. Max Joy has purchased books, games, arts, crafts, and toys to brighten the holidays for the young warriors fighting there (pictured below).

Your unwavering support has allowed us to turn our grief into action. Before he died, we told Max that the world would know who he was, and you are helping us bring this promise to fruition. We cannot express enough gratitude for your generosity in honoring Max's memory. Together, we are putting good into the world, just like our sweet Max.  We promise you, and Max--this is only the beginning.

-Andy, Laura, Harper & Tess