Whether it's dyeing your hair gold or hitting the links, people across the community have been helping the Fight Like Mason Foundation raise funds to provide resources and support for families in Windsor-Essex dealing with a childhood cancer diagnosis.
The Fight Like Mason Foundation is a registered charity organization formed by Iain Macri and Chantelle Bacon, parents of Mason Bacon-Macri, who was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (a form of childhood cancer) in 2015 at the age of two. He died when he was just four years old and his parents decided to turn the tragedy of losing Mason into something positive, by forming the foundation in his name.
Seven years later, through many fundraisers, galas, and events, the Fight Like Mason Foundation has raised more than $2 million to fund research, buy medical equipment, support programs and valuable resources to help improve the lives of children and families who are currently fighting a cancer diagnosis, just like Mason did.
"I wish it didn't have to happen this way, but to be able to help other families, and hopefully, to allow other families to have more time with their kids, or give them a lifetime with their kids, is what our goal is," said Chantelle Bacon, who in 2019 was honoured as a St. Clair College alumna of distinction. She graduated from the College's Hairstylist program in 2014 and later re-enrolled in the Pre-Service Firefighter program. Bacon now works as a firefighter in Lakeshore.
The Community Saints helped add to that fundraising total on Sept. 16, 2024, by donating $5,000 to the Foundation through a collaborative effort between St. Clair College, its Alumni Association, and the Student Representative Council.
The Community Saints raised the money by hosting a ticketed event at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts during the annual Ford Fireworks night in June, offering breathtaking views of the Detroit River fireworks from the top terrace of the downtown building.
"The superhero spirit of Mason Bacon-Macri is still very much alive in this community, thanks to the Foundation established by his parents, Iain and Chantelle," said St. Clair College President Michael Silvaggi. "Their ongoing effort to assist and comfort families battling childhood cancer reflects the qualities of compassion, generosity, and courage which we should all strive to emulate."
"The staff and students of St. Clair are honoured to support the Foundation and encourage the entire community to continue to Fight Like Mason. It is, literally, a case of ‘A little child shall lead them'," President Silvaggi said.
"Having support of other organizations and even community partners is a huge deal, because it shows that they're believing in our cause and believing in what we do," said Bacon. "It's an incredible thing. We wouldn't be able to do any of this without our community partners."
Ways to get involved
The Foundation hosts loads of other events each year, including the FLM Golf Classic, which this year raised $70,000.
October is also proving to be a busy month for the foundation, which has a handful of events in the works.
Registration is currently open for the Fight Like Mason Super 5K Run and Walk, which is slated for Oct. 5, 2024.
The foundation is also hosting a ‘Gothic Manor' Charity Costume Gala on Oct. 25 at the Water's Edge Event Centre in Windsor.
And this Sunday, Sept. 22, the foundation is hosting ‘Gold Hair Dudes Care' – a pledging challenge for people in the community who take it upon themselves to raise funds, with the future colour of their hair fully dependent on how much money they collect.
If you raise $500, you get a temporary hair dye sprayed onto your hair. Those who collect $1,000 get bleach blonde "gold hair" and if you raise $2,000 or more, a local child with cancer gets to pick a permanent colour for you to sport – a colour that will last four to six weeks.
It's an important part of the process for a childhood cancer survivor to pick the colour, noted Bacon.
"Even Mason at three years old, losing his hair really affected him, and he lost that control of everything," recalled Bacon, referring to what happened during cancer treatments. "He didn't have a decision on anything. So, this is a really important thing for kids who are fighting, to be able to have control over someone else's hair."
The family is thankful for all the support the foundation receives, and while the work keeps them busy, they recognize that thousands of people are also working toward the same cause, to show that the disease is in no way "rare" to any family going through it.
"This once little charity, this little promise that we made to Mason has now blossomed thanks to the generosity of the community," said Iain Macri. "The small third-party fundraisers, the lemonade stands, the bake sales, the signature events that we host, and other people in the community host, they just believed in our cause."
"It has allowed us to create over 10 support programs for children and families, and in the research we've been able to donate to, which makes a difference," said Macri. "We've seen monumental growth of the organization and how we're able to actually affect the change."
"That's a symbol of hope for those families, because they understand the cause, they're helping to fight and that's an empowering feeling for a family and a child."