Imagine a child dealing with cancer every day. Michael didn’t have to imagine he dealt with it twice in his young life. At the age of 6 he was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL) and endured 3 years of treatment. Life returned to normal until June 17th, 2013 when he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Grade IV Brain Tumor likely caused from the radiation he received for his leukemia.
Michael’s Meanies were created because after his own brain surgery Michael heard a little girl crying and wanted to be able to offer her something to feel better. One day while on his way to treatment he designed them on his iPad and a few days later molded them out of clay. He based them on three different types of childhood cancer. His idea was they could be used by the kids to take out their frustrations. He wanted them to be like a stress toy so they could be squeezed, thrown or even kicked.
Michael delivered them in person to a few hospitals and he was able to see them make it to all 50 states and 4 countries worldwide. Michael faced every challenge with courage and determination but unfortunately lost his fight on July 3, 2014.