An 11-year-old Kentucky boy took a break from cancer treatments to focus on fun and football. Kosair Kid Mason is home in after two days in Dallas, Texas, for college football’s premier all-star game, the East-West Shrine Bowl.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Mason, standing on the same field the Dallas Cowboys call home. “I got to do tons of different things, and it’s just great hanging out and talking to the players.”
Mason, his parents, and his 9-year-old sister, Bella, received the trip from Kosair for Kids. Our region’s most comprehensive children’s charity has also assisted with Mason’s cancer treatments.
“I just want to cry tears of joy, and I’m fighting it back really hard,” Mason’s mom, Amy Whittington, explained. “I’m just thankful, thankful.”
Former NFL star Eddie George and several Shrine Bowl participants encouraged Mason. University of Kentucky Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson offered to give Mason and his family tickets to a Cats football game next season.
“I’m just blessed enough to be able to meet him,” Dumas-Johnson said. “I don’t have the same troubles he goes through during the week, and I’m just blessed to come out and have a moment with him like this.”
Kosair for Kids is the catalyst for creating a world in which all children live life to the fullest. Part of that effort is providing the power of joy through unique experiences for children who otherwise may feel left out. The Shrine Bowl trip to Dallas created a lifetime of memories and starkly contrasted the past two years for this Hayes Middle School 6th grader.
Mason’s life turned upside down just days before Christmas in 2022. His parents scheduled an appointment with the pediatrician when Mason ran a low-grade fever and was overly tired. “His pediatrician ran bloodwork, and we were immediately told that an ambulance was going to transport us to UK Children’s Hospital,” explained Amy. “After multiple tests and scans, doctors diagnosed him with Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.”
“At first, it is really hard to believe,” said Mason’s dad, Scott Whittington. “You hear about other people having these diagnoses, but you never think it is going to happen to your child.”
The Whittingtons worried they would lose their child to this vicious disease. And just like so many other parents in their situation, Amy and Scott were unsure how they could financially keep up with their child’s needs. Thankfully, a social worker at the hospital introduced them to the Kosair Kids Financial Assistance Program.
“If it were not for Kosair for Kids, we would have had a harder time focusing on what really matters: Mason’s treatments and creating as much normalcy as possible for our family,” Amy said.
Mason will turn 12 in the next couple of weeks, but the milestone he’s most excited about comes in late February when he’s scheduled to undergo his last cancer treatment. The Kosair Kids Shrine Bowl Experience delivered on its promise to lift Mason’s spirits.
“This has been great,” said Mason’s dad, Scott Whittington. “Any time we can have people offering words of encouragement, it definitely means a lot. I think it gives him something extra to just keep going, to keep plugging away.”