Maddie Hight's Fight Fund
Donation protected
Madison "Maddie" Hight and her family need your help. She is in urgent need of a double lung transplant after surviving neuroblastoma and everything that goes with that.
Some backstory. I'm just a guy who likes to fish and I don't have all of the information I need, so forgive me if this rambles or there are some inaccuracies. Way back in 2007 a group of guys I know had a benefit tournament for the Hight family as their beautiful daughter, Maddie, was fighting a particularly rough and relatively rare form of cancer, Neuroblastoma. There are only about 750 new diagnoses a year. I met Maddie's dad, Chris, and we started fishing together and have been friends ever since.
Maddie's cancer was discovered when she was 3 years old and from that time on, she's learned what pain and suffering were. She had a kidney removed and probably needed the other one removed too, but part of her tumor was on that renal artery. She had to be rushed to the emergency room often and what might be nothing more than a cold to you or me, could be life threatening to her. She had a chemotherapy PICC line in her chest. I remember Chris telling me about all of the things she'd endured but she pushed on. She's by far one of the toughest people I've ever met. I know that I couldn't go through everything that she has.
A few years ago, Maddie was ruled cancer free. She went to Ooltewah High School, got a car, and a job at Ace Hardware. It seemed like everything was starting to look semi normal.
Then, last fall, Maddie developed a cough. Through the years of chemotherapy and radiation, her airways were starting to thicken with scar tissue. This winter, Covid 19 hit and Maddie had to stay away from work, because she's high risk. School was closed, so she didn't get to have a normal graduation and her birthday was celebrated by friends driving by in cars and waving.
She was all set to start college this month. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Maddie needed an ambulance to take her to the ER. Both of her lungs had collapsed! Chest tubes were inserted but due to radiation, her lungs were thicker so it was very difficult. She needed additional care and expertise, so she was flown to a specialist in Cincinnati.
Here's where things take another turn. Apparently, Maddie is going to need a double lung transplant. Beyond all of the other hurdles for this, it has to be proven that she's been cancer free for at least 3 years. Shouldn't be a problem, except that she's always lit up the scans showing live disease. The family is currently going through the process of trying to get on the transplant list, which is not easy.
If it's determined that she's a candidate for a transplant, she'll get on the waiting list; however, she can't leave the hospital. Her dad, Chris, said that she could be there for a year or more!
In the mean time, Maddie has been poked and prodded and stuck and scanned relentlessly. Little things wear her out. She's in a strange place in a strange town and going through a literal nightmare. She's 18 and weighs 60 pounds, she's on heavy duty pain medicine and being shuffled around to all parts of the hospital due to complications and so on ...but earlier I said how tough she is....she started college last week, online!
Her mom, Elizabeth, is a school teacher in Apison and started teaching last week as well. They are planning on calling that hospital room and a hotel "home" and work for the foreseeable future. Her dad, Chris, is working 2 jobs...as a popular fishing guide on Lake Chickamauga and at Yanfeng, a VW supplier. Maddie has another beautiful sister, Emalyne and 2 over the top brothers, Maddox and Mason.
As you can imagine, between taking time off of work and traveling 350 miles each way to Cincinnati, hotel rooms, crumby food and all that goes with that, along with trying to have some normalcy for Emalyne, Maddox and Mason, things can get tough and expensive very fast.
Like I said, I'm just a friend of the family, and I'm probably doing this all wrong...but a lot of people know Maddie and what she's gone through already. When I found out she had to have transplants, I literally broke down....it just isn't fair that someone so young and small has been kicked so hard. I just want to see if I can get some people to help give what you can to take some of the pressure off of these guys...they've had more than most.
Any amount will help. It's urgent that these great people get one thing off of their plate! I don't even want to think about how much a 6 month hospital stay could cost. If you can't give any money, then please keep Maddie and the Hights in your prayers.
Some backstory. I'm just a guy who likes to fish and I don't have all of the information I need, so forgive me if this rambles or there are some inaccuracies. Way back in 2007 a group of guys I know had a benefit tournament for the Hight family as their beautiful daughter, Maddie, was fighting a particularly rough and relatively rare form of cancer, Neuroblastoma. There are only about 750 new diagnoses a year. I met Maddie's dad, Chris, and we started fishing together and have been friends ever since.
Maddie's cancer was discovered when she was 3 years old and from that time on, she's learned what pain and suffering were. She had a kidney removed and probably needed the other one removed too, but part of her tumor was on that renal artery. She had to be rushed to the emergency room often and what might be nothing more than a cold to you or me, could be life threatening to her. She had a chemotherapy PICC line in her chest. I remember Chris telling me about all of the things she'd endured but she pushed on. She's by far one of the toughest people I've ever met. I know that I couldn't go through everything that she has.
A few years ago, Maddie was ruled cancer free. She went to Ooltewah High School, got a car, and a job at Ace Hardware. It seemed like everything was starting to look semi normal.
Then, last fall, Maddie developed a cough. Through the years of chemotherapy and radiation, her airways were starting to thicken with scar tissue. This winter, Covid 19 hit and Maddie had to stay away from work, because she's high risk. School was closed, so she didn't get to have a normal graduation and her birthday was celebrated by friends driving by in cars and waving.
She was all set to start college this month. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Maddie needed an ambulance to take her to the ER. Both of her lungs had collapsed! Chest tubes were inserted but due to radiation, her lungs were thicker so it was very difficult. She needed additional care and expertise, so she was flown to a specialist in Cincinnati.
Here's where things take another turn. Apparently, Maddie is going to need a double lung transplant. Beyond all of the other hurdles for this, it has to be proven that she's been cancer free for at least 3 years. Shouldn't be a problem, except that she's always lit up the scans showing live disease. The family is currently going through the process of trying to get on the transplant list, which is not easy.
If it's determined that she's a candidate for a transplant, she'll get on the waiting list; however, she can't leave the hospital. Her dad, Chris, said that she could be there for a year or more!
In the mean time, Maddie has been poked and prodded and stuck and scanned relentlessly. Little things wear her out. She's in a strange place in a strange town and going through a literal nightmare. She's 18 and weighs 60 pounds, she's on heavy duty pain medicine and being shuffled around to all parts of the hospital due to complications and so on ...but earlier I said how tough she is....she started college last week, online!
Her mom, Elizabeth, is a school teacher in Apison and started teaching last week as well. They are planning on calling that hospital room and a hotel "home" and work for the foreseeable future. Her dad, Chris, is working 2 jobs...as a popular fishing guide on Lake Chickamauga and at Yanfeng, a VW supplier. Maddie has another beautiful sister, Emalyne and 2 over the top brothers, Maddox and Mason.
As you can imagine, between taking time off of work and traveling 350 miles each way to Cincinnati, hotel rooms, crumby food and all that goes with that, along with trying to have some normalcy for Emalyne, Maddox and Mason, things can get tough and expensive very fast.
Like I said, I'm just a friend of the family, and I'm probably doing this all wrong...but a lot of people know Maddie and what she's gone through already. When I found out she had to have transplants, I literally broke down....it just isn't fair that someone so young and small has been kicked so hard. I just want to see if I can get some people to help give what you can to take some of the pressure off of these guys...they've had more than most.
Any amount will help. It's urgent that these great people get one thing off of their plate! I don't even want to think about how much a 6 month hospital stay could cost. If you can't give any money, then please keep Maddie and the Hights in your prayers.
Give $50 to help get this fundraiser to its goal
Organizer and beneficiary
David Jones
Organizer
Ooltewah, TN
Elizabeth Hight
Beneficiary
