Positive and Determined

Positive and Determined

April 12th, 2017  |  Rob Kelly

In 2016, 9-year-old Maddie Schieve ran a one-mile cross-country race nearly three minutes faster than she had previously. It was an impressive feat that would make any parent proud under ordinary circumstances. Given her medical condition, it was nothing short of amazing.

Less than a year earlier, Maddie felt a pain in her side while playing with friends. Thinking it was a pulled muscle, her father Matt applied ice. The pain eventually subsided, but she got so winded during a basketball game that she had trouble making it up and down the court. Her doctor prescribed an inhaler, but her symptoms didn’t improve. She was lethargic and losing weight.

Maddie’s pediatrician determined one of Maddie’s lungs was not functioning. After seeing a chest X-ray, the doctor said, “Pack a bag. You need to go to UW Hospital immediately.”

Maddie had a softball-size tumor in her chest that collapsed one lung and pushed her trachea to one side. A biopsy indicated that it was Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that grows in bones or in the soft tissue around bones. The diagnosis hit Matt and his wife Jenny hard.

“The first couple of weeks after diagnosis were pretty much a blur,” Matt says. “I remember a lot of crying and sleepless nights.”

The good news was that the cancer had not spread, and Maddie could be treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

Maddie tolerated treatment exceptionally well and was steadfastly positive the whole time. Photos taken during her numerous hospital stays show her smiling, giving a thumbs-up and enjoying many fun activities offered at American Family Children’s Hospital.

“At first, it was kind of scary, but it got better once I went through a couple of treatments,” Maddie says. “You just have to have a positive attitude all the time and not think that something bad is going to happen.”

Throughout the nine months of chemotherapy and 32 radiation treatments at the UW Carbone Cancer Center, the Schieves maintained as normal a routine as possible. Matt, a Janesville police officer, and Jenny, a teacher, took turns taking Maddie from their Janesville home to treatment in Madison, while also making time for Maddie’s two younger brothers.

“We did a lot more things as a family, and we still do,” Matt says. “Friends and family have made it a lot easier, financially and emotionally. They made it so we didn’t have to worry about a lot everyday responsibilities.”

With the approval of her doctors, Maddie continued to participate in sports throughout treatment and ran her fastest mile just two days after chemotherapy.

Maddie completed treatment in October 2016 and is in remission. She continues to participate fully in all the activities she enjoyed before her diagnosis—softball, volleyball, cross country, track and basketball.

Matt says this experience has made him more optimistic. “From the beginning, I thought things were the worst of the worst,” he says. “Then I saw the doctors and staff taking care of Maddie and other kids. When I saw that they were getting better, my whole outlook on everything changed for the better. Now that we’re done with all this, I try to maintain that optimism about everything I come across.”

Matt is grateful to all those who supported his family through Maddie’s treatment and looks forward to helping others going through similar challenges. “I want to be there to make it easier for the next person,” he says.

The Schieves are also expressing their gratitude and support by participating in The Ride, a bicycle fundraiser for cancer research and treatment at the University of Wisconsin.

“People know how tragic cancer is. It affects everybody. But it isn’t a death sentence thanks to the research and treatment at the UW,” Matt says. “They saved my daughter’s life. By participating in The Ride we can help the UW find new ways to treat all types of cancer and save more lives.”

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