Cancer Warrior, McKenzie Fuller

About Fourth & Gold

Founded by Erin, Fourth & Gold officially became a 5013C non-profit organization in July 2022. Much of the team is lead by healthcare professionals that are on the frontlines of oncological practice, helping children and their families battle cancer everyday.

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Fourth and Gold highlights a cancer warrior that has bravely and fiercely stood strong against childhood cancer. At Fourth and Gold, we want you to see the faces behind our drive and connect with them in a way you wouldn’t have been able to if you didn’t take the stand to demand #MoreThan4. These precious kids have cancer, but cancer does not have them.

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McKenzie Fuller, aka Kenzie, diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma* at 8 years of age

Current age: 10 (DOB 11/7/2008)

Favorite things: McKenzie absolutely adores her dogs (same), her family, music, making slime and drawing

Favorite foods: Kenzie loves pasta, Chinese food and ice cream!😋

Typical day looks like: Currently, McKenzie is attending physical therapy from proton paralysis that she works extremely hard at. If McKenzie is not working on her rehab, she is attending school, and spending time with her family and friends. 

If you know McKenzie, you know that she: Is such a big inspiration and inspires people who have never even met her. McKenzie NEVER gives up! Her strength and determination is amazing!  As you’ll see from the pictures below, McKenzie She always has a smile on her face and she clearly lights up a room.

Since McKenzie’s diagnosis she has endured:

  • Three surgeries
  • 10 months of chemo
  • 31 rounds of proton radiation
  • Hair loss
  • 20 plus hospital admissions
  • Countless blood transfusions and platelet transfusions.
  • Aggressive physical therapy due to paralysis from treatment and radiation damage

McKenzie’s mom, Misty, on the hardest part about having a child with cancer:  “Watching our child suffer and be scared. The harsh side effects they have to to go through. To see their childhood being taken from them. The isolation from their friends and school. To watch Mckenzie to continue to fight every day.”

One thing you wish people knew about childhood cancer: “Pediatric cancer deserves more than 4% funding!  These children need more research.”

How has childhood cancer impacted your lives the most: “The fear never goes away! To watch your child fight for their lives.. nothing else matters. The things you once were concerned about do not matter anymore. Cancer taught us to appreciate more. Enjoy the little things, appreciate and love each other, and to embrace every day be thankful!”

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McKenzie’s journey has been far from normal, easy or rare. Kenzie’s journey has been devastating, life altering and full of fear. A journey that has forever altered the Fuller family. The Fuller’s have gone through more struggle, pain and the unknown in 2 years than most families who aren’t affected by childhood cancer will EVER experience.

Like so many kids who battle this ugly disease, McKenzie has warriored through her journey with grace, unfathomable strength and a smile on her face. When most adults would crumble through the journey, Kenzie strengthened not only her spirit, but those around her. The government may not let Kenzie and her fellow warriors around her know they are worth more than 4% of all research funds… but we will. Our mission at Fourth and Gold is to introduce you to children like Kenzie and their families to bring a face to childhood cancer awareness in hopes that it will inspire you to help us close the gap on research funding.

Unlike adult cancers who receive 96% of all research funding, childhood cancer research receives a measly 3.8%. WHY? Because it is considered “RARE”yet 43 children per day or 15,780 children per year are expected to be diagnosed with cancer and since 1980, fewer than 10 drugs have been developed for use in children with cancer (National Pediatric Cancer Foundation)

How can YOU help close this gap between pharmaceutical companies and childhood cancer research? Consider making monthly donations to the non-profit childhood cancer research foundations below:

Cure Childhood Cancer

St. Baldricks Foundation

Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Beat NB 

Want to do your part, but look good while doing it? These companies give to childhood cancer research based off a percentage of their profit: 

Fourth and Gold -> Donates 100% of profit in September, 50% all other months and donates a warrior shirt to a child with cancer with every purchase made 

Love Your Melon -> Donates 50% of profit and donates a LYM beanie to a child with cancer with every beanie sold 

Head Bands of Hope -> Donates 10% of profit and donates a headband to a child with cancer with every headband sold

We encourage you on behalf of McKenzie and the 42 other children who will get diagnosed with cancer today, that you help us close the funding gap and donate it to childhood cancer research. Awareness, funding and dedication to changing the research world of childhood cancer is severely lacking. It takes a village…. please join ours.

To follow McKenzie’s journey, please follow her Facebook page: Prayers for McKenzie

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*Ewing Sarcoma: “The second most common bone cancer after osteosarcoma — often originates in the long, large bones of the body, including the hip, thigh, shin, chest, and arm bones. Besides originating from the bone, sometimes this tumor can form just outside the bone in the soft tissue.

The cancer can also move to other sites including the lungs, other bones or soft tissue areas, and bone marrow. This movement, known as metastasis, often makes the disease more difficult to treat, resulting in significantly lower survival rates. Approximately 1 in 4 children with Ewing sarcoma will have metastatic disease at the time of first diagnosis” (St Baldrick’s Foundation)

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