Mighty Mack
Photo Credit: Mighty Mack - Facebook

For 339 days, Mighty Mack’s friends and family have been fighting alongside her as she battled Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML); today, she is officially cancer-free!

 

Johannesburg, South Africa (14 April 2022) – On the 9th of May 2021, Mackenzie “Mighty Mack” Friedman went to the doctor for a checkup that would alter her life; a few days later, she was diagnosed with cancer. She was just a few months old. Now, 339 days later, Mackenzie is cancer-free!

Mighty Mack was formally diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) on Wednesday, 12th of May, 2021. Three days before that, her parents, Megan Harrington-Johnson and Bronson Friedman, noticed she had a fever and was quite fussy, unable to settle. They took her to their GP, and through that consultation, they eventually learned of Mack’s diagnosis.

The family spent the next 11 months going through the highs and lows of watching Mighty Mack battle her way through cancer, infections, surgeries and many traumatic events. They refused to give up, and while Mackenzie fought her most brutal battle, they raised awareness to find her a bone marrow donor.

She thankfully found her match and had the life-saving procedure in January 2022. Now less than 100 days post-transplant, they have the best news to share!

“Yesterday we received the news from Mack’s doctors, that after months and months of praying, hoping, wishing, dreaming… we can finally say Mackenzie is CANCER FREE!!!!!!!

This means transplant was successful!

We are over the moon that Mack can now live life like a normal little girl, and we are beyond grateful that she was given this second chance at life”

The update brought tears to our eyes! And we know many of you who have followed her along this journey will rejoice too.

The family took time to send their thanks to every person that stood by them during this time, from the constant well-wishes and prayers left for them on social media to the people raising awareness for Mack’s cause and to those that were able to donate blood or register as bone marrow donors. Every effort was seen and appreciated!

“With full hearts and eyes full of tears, we want to thank each and every single one of you for the love, prayers and support you have showered on Megs, Boss and Mack throughout this arduous journey.”

“The path that she has walked since then has been nothing short of miraculous and we could not be more thankful for how far she has come!”

Mackenzie will be able to ring the Reach For A Dream Bell at Donald Gordon Hospital tomorrow. The ringing of the bell signifies the end of a cancer journey and is always a spectacular event. Stay tuned; we will share this moment with you once it has happened.

If you are new to Mighty Mack’s journey, you can read all about her cancer battle and how she won over the hearts of thousands of South Africans here.

The family will continue to advocate for more blood and bone marrow donors in South Africa. These organisations played a vital role in Mackenzie’s recovery. If you want to become either, you can find the relevant details below.

For bone marrow donations: You can sign up to be a bone marrow donor at www.dkms-africa.org (formally known as The Sunflower Fund) or www.sabmr.co.za. The Bone Marrow Registry is international, so if you are overseas, you can still register and get tested.

You will be notified if you qualify to be a donor. To register, there is no blood or needles involved, just a cheek swab and registering is free of charge.

For blood donations: If you are between the ages of 16 and 75, weigh 50kg or more, are healthy on the day of donation and lead a safe sexual lifestyle, you should be able to donate. Blood donation takes 30 minutes of your time, and you can donate every 56 days.

Donors can rest assured that it is safe to donate blood and that all COVID-19 safety protocols are in place. You can search SANBS branches here to find a donation centre close to you.


Sources: GTG Interview / Mighty Mack
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About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

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