BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Western New York is rallying behind Iroquois 8th grader Maxton Williams. The 14-year-old had been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer called DIPG, raising over $66,000 to support his treatment.
Max, who is a student at Iroquois Middle School, was diagnosed with DIPG, which is an aggressive high-grade brain stem glioma. His doctor, Dr. Matthew Barth, estimates they only see about one of these cases at Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo per year.
Despite that diagnosis, Max remains positive.
Q: “How are you doing right now?”
Max: “I’m feeling better than I was a while ago, so that’s good. I just wanted to thank everyone, my friends, my family, my school, thank you for all the support and donations.”
The community's support includes a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $66,000 in less than a month.
His father, Josh Williams, shared gratitude for the overwhelming support from the community.
Q: “Why did you want to share Max’s story with our community?”
Josh: “We get so much support and so much help, and I just want everybody to know that we are so thankful for it.”
Max’s family members have also specially designed the shirts you see them wearing in the pictures above. The Williams family hopes to make them available for sale to the public in the future.
