Our Ambassador

Axton Myers

Axton has T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was two years old when he was diagnosed. His white blood count put him in the high-risk category.

He loves to ride his tricycle, build with legos and play with all types of trucks. He likes cooking in the kitchen with his mom and dad.

It all started…

September 30, 2019 was the day our world was turned upside down. Axton was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics. After a week of medicine, his breathing was still not normal. I took Axton to see his pediatrician on September 30. She made the decision to get an Xray of Axton’s chest and within an hour called to tell me to take Axton to Children’s Hospital Emergency Department as Axton had an enlarged heart. Within about 6 hours of being at Children’s Hospital and thinking his heart was enlarged, it turned out to be a mass of white blood cells above his heart. Blood Tests came back to reveal Leukemia. Our son has Cancer! Time stood still and the only thing that entered our minds was we will fight this and beat this! Axton spent 5 nights in intensive care and 20 days at the hospital. He had numerous procedures,, high doses of chemo and blood products before he was able to come home. He continues with outpatient treatments for the the next 3 years.

Sarah Myers

Our 2025 Ambassador

Following surgery, Alex faced 46 grueling rounds of radiation and a year and a half of intense chemotherapy. Throughout it all, he showed remarkable strength and bravery, but behind the scenes, his family endured the emotional and financial toll that comes with childhood cancer. Medical bills piled up, and like so many other families, they faced the harsh reality that the cost of treatment can often lead to financial ruin.

The Lopez family was only going in for an early check-up when they received devastating news—cancer was back. Those are words that no family ever wants to hear. They know many families who have faced this battle and tragically lost their children to this horrible disease. This time around, they have been taking things slower since it was not as severe as Alex’s first diagnosis 10 years ago. They have gone through surgery, radiation, and test after test. Alex has endured over 31 MRIs. When you do the math, it’s hard to imagine how families are expected to pay for that without help.

About Alex

Alex’s journey is one no child should ever have to endure—not once, and certainly not twice. His battle began on July 15, 2015, when his family received devastating news and a mere 5% chance of survival. Before that diagnosis, Alex had been taken to the ER five times, with no action taken until the final visit when tests were finally run. The next day, Alex underwent surgery.

Despite these challenges, Alex’s family found strength in their faith, the love of their family, and the support of new friends they met along the way. Their journey highlights not just the incredible courage of Alex, but also the often unseen struggles that families face when fighting for their child’s life.

Here we are in 2025, and Alex has been diagnosed for a second time—talk about a punch in the gut.

Our families loved and prayed for us through everything. We met so many new friends along the way, and the Metro Area Youth Foundation was one of the biggest blessings. They helped us with car payments for six months, which was one less thing for our family to worry about. Without people like you, that would not have been possible. Through this trial in our lives, we became family to the Metro Area Youth Foundation and ultimately began serving with them, helping other children just as they helped us. Alex was so thrilled to be a part of this organization.

We are asking for help again. Once again, the Metro Area Youth Foundation has stepped up to support us. They are helping us by covering our monthly electric bill and car insurance. WOW! How amazing are they? We could not ask for better people to help us. We are so thankful that foundations like this exist to make life a little easier. We are determined to beat this cancer again. We have faith that, with prayers, we will get through it.

But imagine the families who may not have that option. They need help now more than ever. Please support this foundation—reach into your hearts and pockets to help these families who do not deserve this burden. Nebraska is the number one state for childhood cancer. Can you imagine how many families that impacts?

- The Lopez Family

Our 2024 Ambassador

About Joe

Joe is an 18-year old kid from Silver City, Iowa. He is a huge sports fan, especially for Michigan, and an avid golfer. Above else he is a kid of faith.
He was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma on August 21, 2021 a day after his first day as a Sophomore. On August 27, he went in for his first resection and stayed in the hospital for 87 days. Although there were some very tough nights, Joe was strong in his faith. He believes that God makes things happen for a reason.
In the last 3 years, Joe has endured countless treatments and has had 24 major surgeries. He is not currently cancer free, but he is strong in his faith and his recovery.
Joe recently represented as a Sunshine Kids National Spokeskids and spoke to over 5,000 attendees.
We are so excited to have Joe as this year’s Ambassador!

Our 2023 Ambassador

About ESTHER

Esther went to heaven on February 12, 2023 after battling a rare brain tumor called Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma or DIPG. Here are a few of her favorite things:

Bible Stories - Christmas and Noah's Ark (rainbows)
Color - Pink, Purple, Tinkerbell-Green
Fruits - raspberries and strawberries
Vegetables - cucumbers and green beans
Toy - dolls (all kinds!)
Hobbies - drawing and painting
Symbol - rainbow, cross
Mythical Creatures - mermaids and unicorns
Characters - Frozen's Elsa, Moana, Tinker Bell
Animals - Kittens and Ladybugs

ESTHER’s Story

On April 23, 2022, Esther’s parents noticed her left eye turning inwards, similar to her older sister Evelyn. They visited with Evelyn’s pediatric ophthamologist, Dr. Sebastian Troia on May 2, when they learned that Esther’s vision was normal but there was an issue with her sixth cranial nerve that caused the left eye to turn inward. At the insistence of Dr. Troia and another doctor who examined Esther, Julie and Jim took Esther to Children’s Hospital for an MRI. The MRI revealed a mass at the base of Esther’s head and they preliminarily diagnosed Esther with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma or DIPG. The following day, the neuro-oncologist team at Children’s Hospital agreed with the diagnosis of DIPG and offered a couple options of treatment. A few days later, Esther was accepted to St Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

ESTHER’S Parents

Esther's first miracle is that she was born Monday, October 24, 2016 at 8:08am weighing 7 lbs. 14 oz. Mommy and Daddy were told at 6 weeks into her pregnancy to prepare for a miscarriage - the amniotic sac was empty and the pregnancy was not viable. She is now a sweet and sassy 5-year old little girl, who loves all things pink, princess, and Jesus!

Daddy calls Esther his little "Boo" because she can be so sneaky and quick, which makes her very good at playing hide-and-seek! Daddy also has special names for her like "Boo-ana" (after Moana) and Queen Elsa (after Frozen's main character). Esther also loves Tinker Bell so Daddy calls her Stinker Boo, too! (Sometimes she can be quite a little stinker!

Mommy loves her little Ladybug. Esther is the baby girl of the family after all - Mommy's little lady, ladybug. Esther loves to play tricks on Mommy, and also loves to do Mommy's hair, nails, and celebrate Mother's Day everyday by helping Mommy to "relax." Even though Esther can be sassy and loves to prank people, she is very servant-hearted and tells people she loves Jesus. Esther has a compassionate heart and is sensitive to other people's needs.

ESTHER’s Journey

Esther underwent treatment at St Jude’s hospital from May 8 until July 8. While on a family vacation to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, for Esther’s Make-A-Wish dream to see the princesses in August, the family was notified that Esther had been invited to start preliminary tests for the Sonalasense clinical trial. At first Esther had too much inflammation in her brain to start the trial, but after her MRI on the August 24th at St Jude’s Hospital, the inflammation had gone down and Esther was able to start the trial in Washington D.C. She did two treatments, the first on the right half of her brain and the second on the left half. After both treatments and some time her follow-up MRI in November indicated the tumor had decreased by 17%. Another follow-up MRI in December revealed the tumor had decreased by 42% since Esther’s original diagnosis. However, in January 2023 Esther’s MRI showed multiple smaller tumors and metastasis in her brain and spinal cord. On February 11, Jim and Julie took their youngest daughter to the Emergency Room for extensive seizures. With the support of the Children’s Hospital and hospice care, Esther’s parents were able to take Esther home to her family.

On February 12, 2023, Esther made her journey to heaven while cradled in her mother’s arms and surrounded with the love of her family.

Their Gratitude

Jim and Julie are forever grateful for their time with Esther, their miracle girl. They intend to carry on Esther’s legacy and continue to fight for children with DIPG.

Our 2022 Ambassador

About Jaxen

Jaxen is a five year old pediatric cancer survivor.

Jaxen’s Story

On September 5th 2019 2 year old Jaxen was diagnosed with what they suspected was a Wilm’s tumor, a form of kidney cancer. From that moment on things escalated quickly. Then next day, on September 6th 2019 Jaxen was in a big surgery to remove his left kidney, adrenal gland, several lymph nodes and get a port placed in his chest in preparation for chemotherapy. The surgeon removed a 2 pound tumor out of his little 27 pound body that had completely taken over his abdomen. Jaxen spent an initial 4 days in the hospital but recovered from the surgery well and we were able to go home. However about 5 days after being home we started suspecting something wasn’t quite right with him as his belly was getting very large again and he was in pain. On the morning Jaxen was supposed to start chemo we got the news that he was having a very rare but very major complication called a chylous leak.

Jaxen’s Parents

This is what began the process of our two-week inpatient stay at Children’s Hospital and when we first heard of Metro Youth Foundation. We, as his parents, felt like we were drowning at this time. My husband runs his own business, and I am a nurse at the hospital. Bills were starting to add up with the time away from our jobs and we couldn’t make our normal income. It was all very overwhelming. I remember a very kind social worker in the hospital sat down with us and started going through some of the resources that were available to help get us through this hard time. Metro Area Youth Foundation assisted us with paying some of our utility bills through the entirety of Jaxen’s treatment. It was one less thing that we had to focus on so our sick kiddo could get every bit of the focus that he needed and deserved. To say that a weight was lifted off our shoulders is just putting it lightly. How do you thank someone for helping you through the unimaginable?

Jaxen’s Journey

Fast-forward through 3 more surgeries and almost 6 months of chemo and in March of 2020 we got the best new of our lives that our Jaxen was cancer free! It was an incredible moment after a journey of so much uncertainty. We would not have made it through our journey without the help of Metro Youth Area Foundation.