HARTLAND — Six-year-old Kyler Hogan hit the honorary first tee shot at the Macc Fund golf outing- a small moment that represented years of struggle, hope, and resilience for his family.
Kyler was diagnosed with leukemia at age 2 and spent nearly 3 years fighting the disease. His mother, Gaby Hogan, first noticed something was wrong when subtle signs began to appear.
"I just noticed he was overly tired, and my mom did mention to me that his skin color looked a little pale. And then I noticed some petechiae on his arm as he wanted me to play, and I'm like, what is that? And I noticed some bruising," Gaby said.
Those small signs quickly led to a diagnosis that shook the family to its core. Kyler's father, Dan Hogan, described the moment they received the news.
"I mean, I remember the day like it was yesterday, unfortunately," Dan said.
"There's no easy way to hear that news. But it was shocking, obviously. She almost couldn't breathe," Dan said.
Through their darkest days, the MACC Fund was there for the Hogan family. The organization focuses exclusively on funding pediatric cancer research.
"The organization is solely dedicated to just giving dollars to research for pediatric cancer. And for us, now that we've seen all the lack of funding that is on the pediatric side for cancer research, it really means a lot to us," Dan said.
This year marks the MACC Fund's 50th anniversary. MACC Fund President and CEO Becky Pinter said the organization's work has helped transform survival outcomes for children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
"Cure rates for ALL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, back when the MACC Fund started back back in 1976 were between 20 and 80%. Cure rates for ALL are upwards of 92, 93%. And that's because of what the MACC Fund has done. MACC Funds contributed over $94 million to research," Pinter said.
Those advances helped make a milestone moment possible for Kyler last June, when he rang the bell signaling the end of his treatment.
"It was a milestone that we've obviously been praying for to just get to that finish line," Gaby said.
Pinter reflected on what Kyler and his family have endured.
"My buddy Kyler. He is a delight. But, he has gone through a lot. But, it is not just Kyler. It is his mom and his dad and his siblings," Pinter said.
For the Hogan family, the bell represented more than the end of treatment — it was a moment to honor everyone who helped them get there.
"It's just the process of, okay, the heavy lift we pray is over and that bell kind of signifies that all the people that helped us get to this point, it's a time to celebrate," Dan said.
Last Thursday marked one year since Kyler completed treatment. The family celebrated the milestone as the MACC Fund continues its work funding research for children fighting cancer.
This story was reported onair by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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