Like Mother, Like Daughter

Amanda Parsons and her daughter, Makenzie, give more than donations

“It feels like the more we give, the more we receive. We’ve given a lot of time and resources, but we’ve found a community of people we didn’t know before. The more we put into it, the more doors open, and the more awareness we can spread.” – Amanda Parsons

Amanda Parsons never expected to hear that her child has cancer. But on April 2, 2021, she received a phone call that changed her life — an MRI showed that her 6-year-old daughter, Makenzie, had a tumor on C-7 vertebrae. Less than an hour after the MRI, Makenzie was admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth where she was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), a rare condition that affects one in every 200,000 people.

It didn’t take long for Amanda to discover what it means to have a child with a rare condition. Because so few LCH diagnoses exist, very little funding is allocated to research. Only a handful of treatment options exist, and Makenzie’s current treatment plan will require her to take a daily chemotherapy pill for the rest of her life.

“There’s so much that isn’t known about LCH,” Amanda said. “Just knowing how rare this is, I want to bring it to light. We were called to do this for a reason, so I said, ‘Let’s make some noise.’”

And they did just that. On April 2, 2022, one year after Makenzie’s diagnosis, Amanda and Makenzie participated in The Blast, a 5K walk benefiting the Cook Children’s Hematology and Oncology Center. They signed up exactly three weeks before the event, and in that time raised more than $10,000, earning Team Mighty Makenzie the top fundraising award.

“It’s so inspiring,” Amanda said. “Every time we go to The Blast, we just get chills. Having that community around us, we just think, ‘Wow, all of these people are here to support us?’ It’s magical.”

The success they achieved in their first year at The Blast inspired Amanda and Makenzie to take their fundraising even higher for 2023.

“In 2023, we raised $15,000,” Amanda said. “Makenzie is so determined to make sure our total is higher every year. We had a little under 100 people on our team last year, and that’s her goal for 2024.”

Beyond The Blast, Makenzie serves as a patient ambassador for Cook Children’s Health Foundation. She and Amanda attend fundraising events in the community, share their story and encourage others to give. Amanda said she and Makenzie never hesitate to say “yes” to an opportunity to partner with Cook Children’s.

“I want to support her through this and help maintain her positive outlook any way I can,” Amanda said. “She truly feels that she’s making a difference, and she’s setting the stage to make sure that no one else goes through this.”

For all that Amanda and Makenzie have given, they feel they’ve received just as much in return.

Amanda said that their experience has developed Makenzie’s sense of empathy and compassion for others. They’ve also found a new community full of people who support them and their mission to spread awareness for LCH.

“It feels like the more we give, the more we receive,” Amanda said. “We’ve given a lot of time and resources, but we’ve found a community of people we didn’t know before. The more we put into it, the more doors open, and the more awareness we can spread.”