9-year-old, Charlie Berg, has raised close to $4,000 to help 11-year-old Maddox Just and his family after hearing about his situation.
Maddox Just, from Morris, a small town in Manitoba, was a healthy 11-year-old until two years ago when he suddenly started to suffer from seizures. Repeated hospital trips and missing school took a heavy toll on him both physically and financially. Fortunately, Maddox found a guardian angel in the form of Charlie Berg, a 9-year-old who heard about Maddox's situation at school and decided to raise funds for him by drawing pictures of Winnipeg Jets players for anyone willing to make a donation, reports CTV News.
"Someone actually took the initiative to begin helping me and raising money," said Maddox. "I guess I was just surprised. I didn't expect as many donations as there have been." Charlie surpassed his goal of $500 within the first week, collecting $800 in that time. Within a month, he raised close to $4000 through requests for Jets drawings or direct donations.
Maddox is surprised and grateful for the amount of support he has been receiving. "I guess I'm lucky," he said. "There are lots of people with medical conditions that don't get as much support."
For years, the cause of Maddox's seizures were a mystery. However, an MRI scan earlier this year gave the family some answers as doctors found a tumour in the top left-hand side of his brain. The good news is that the tumor is operable, though Maddox may need to travel to British Columbia to undergo two surgeries, the first of which will mostly be exploratory. His mother, Melony, has had to quit her job in order to take care of Maddox, making Charlie's fundraising efforts all the more essential to them. "At the hospital, they don't provide the parents with food or anything," said Melony. "It was a huge help."
Charlie's own story is a sad one. He lost a young friend to cancer just a few months before Christmas 2022, and it was this loss that inspired him to help Maddox. Charlie came to his mother with the idea to draw Jets drawings and sell them for $5 each, with the proceeds going to Maddox. Charlie's original goal was to raise $500, a milestone that was quickly surpassed.
In just a month, he has drawn about 100 Jets photos for the cause, and the drawings have become a bit of a multi-family affair, with Charlie's mom and brother helping out, along with Maddox and Matthew. Meanwhile, Charlie and Maddox have become fast friends, and Maddox is thankful for the support he has been receiving.
Charlie's kind gesture is an example of the power of random acts of kindness. He has helped to provide Maddox and his family with financial assistance during a difficult time. It goes to show that no matter how young you are, you can make a difference in someone's life.