PRAIRIE CITY — Mazey Butler’s first nine months of life have been a struggle.

Initially diagnosed with a tumor on her right kidney, Mazey underwent surgery to remove the tumor and her kidney before the cancer returned, this time attacking her lungs.

Mazey and her parents, Hailee and Morgan Butler, live in Juntura now, but Hailee grew up in Prairie City and Morgan graduated from Harper Charter School. 

In true small-town fashion, members of the Prairie City and Harper communities reached out to the family to see what they could do to help. What resulted were a series of fundraisers that raised more than $30,000 to help Mazey and her family with the costs of getting the infant the medical help she needs.

Early concerns

Mazey’s grandmother, Prairie City resident Heather Pointer Wall, said Mazey’s mother last summer discovered a lump on the side of the child’s stomach when she was 3 months old. That led to a visit to Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day and Mazey’s first cancer diagnosis, mesoblastic nephroma.

Mazey’s doctors were optimistic, however. The cancer was localized, had a low chance of spreading and could be treated surgically, without the need for chemotherapy.

In July, Mazey underwent an extensive surgery at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center to remove the 10 -centimeter solid tumor and the kidney it was attached to.

The family began to breathe a little easier.

Then, early this year, Mazey started showing cold-like symptoms, which worried her mother and resulted in a trip to the Harney District Hospital in Burns — and a second cancer diagnosis. The cancer that had attacked her kidney had returned and now was growing on one of her lungs.

The second diagnosis was devastating to the family.

“This one is way more complicated than the one on her kidney, unfortunately,” Wall said, “because once you have a cancer that reoccurs, the chances of you getting cancer again is at a higher risk.”

Mazey was sedated and placed on a ventilator, and tubes were placed in her chest to help drain a buildup of fluid. On Jan. 15, she underwent surgery at St. Luke’s in Boise to remove the tumor and the two top chambers of her right lung.

She still wasn’t out of the woods. During the surgery, doctors discovered the tumor in her chest had ruptured, dispersing cancer cells throughout her tiny chest cavity.

Mazey has to complete a four- to six-month round of chemotherapy as a result of the rupture. The family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for medical and travel expenses.  So far, that effort has raised just more than $13,000. 

We’ve got your back

Almost immediately after the family’s struggles began, Wall said, she began hearing word of the community organizing in support. 

“I want to say it was within … probably three days after we found out what was going on with Mazey,” Wall said.

The first fundraiser was a bake sale at a basketball game Jan. 24 between Harper Charter School and Prairie City/Burnt River in Harper.

“The community of Harper started it, and then it kind of just blew up from there,” Wall said.

Harper Charter’s athletic director, Kenzie Bennett, said the fundraiser was a natural fit given Mazey’s father is a Harper alum and her mother went to Prairie City.

“We realized that we were going to be playing Prairie City that coming weekend, and with Hailee being from Prairie City, we decided that would be probably the best opportunity for us to do it,” she said.

Bennett said she reached out to Prairie City’s athletic director, Billy Colson, and informed him of the school’s plan to have a fundraiser for Mazey and her family. As a result, Prairie City residents traveled to Harper with their own baked goods to raffle off for the fundraiser.

Along with the bake sale, there was a 50/50 raffle and all proceeds from the concession stands were donated to the family.

Bennett said the event raised more than $18,000, not including private donations made to the family.

Colson said Prairie City residents rallied quickly to the cause.

“Our community and coaches/families were all in on the fundraiser,” Colson said. “It is just an amazing show of support by our two communities.”

A second fundraiser in Prairie City four days later also was a collaboration, this time between the Prairie City and Grant Union basketball teams.

An auction of gift baskets and baked goods raised a total of $15,000.

“The baskets and other items were pretty impressive and donated by a multitude of local families and businesses,” Colson said.

The John Day Forest Service office organized a chili feed that raised another $1,400, and the Emigrant Creek Ranger District in Harney County had a bake sale planned for Feb. 13.

Too much for words

Wall has a difficult time expressing just how thankful she is for the community support her family has received.

“It’s hard to put into words (the) appreciation and gratitude,” she said. “Anything I could have thought of, I had people asking if they could help, and it just humbles you in a way I can’t even say, honestly.”

Bennett said the outpouring of support really shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“I guess part of being a small community (is) just taking care of each other,” she said, “but nothing that we did can even amount to what they’re going through.”

The way Colson sees it, living in a small town is like being part of a family. And families take care of their own.

“It is incumbent on families to support their family members,” he said. “I think that is the way in which our community sees this situation. There is a need and people stepped up to help.”

Strength that inspires 

Caring for a child as young as Mazey presents special challenges, according to Wall.

Under normal circumstances, a person battling cancer would be able to tell their caregiver how they’re feeling and what does and does not hurt.

At 9 months old, Mazey can do none of that, leaving her mother with machines as the only guide to her daughter’s well-being.

“I can only imagine what Hailee feels because,” Wall said. “You know your baby is sick, but she can’t tell you, so you look at the monitor.”

Despite everything, Mazey behaves like a typical 9-month-old child — smiling, playing and exploring the world around her. She does all of that while undergoing chemotherapy treatments and getting most of her food and fluids via feeding tube.

“If you didn’t know that she had just had two chambers of her lung removed and doesn’t have a kidney, you wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with her if you looked at her,” Wall said. “She’s happy, she’s pulling herself up on things already, she looks normal and acts normal, like a happy little girl. She’s full of giggles and smiles.”

Wall said Mazey’s strength is an inspiration, and she has come to believe if granddaughter can navigate these struggles so well, everything will ultimately be OK.

“That’s the only outlook I have,” Wall said. “This is just a little bump in the road for us, and she’s going to be fine.”

GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/95eddb63

Old West Federal Credit Union donation account: Hailee Wall 

Venmo directly to Morgan Butler’s mother: https://venmo.com/u/Crystal-Tyler-29