Shannon J. Pravata
June 17, 2014Cards focused during summer season
June 25, 2014
Local mother Stephanie Smith recently got that painstaking news that no mom ever wants to hear.
She found out that her 7-year-old daughter Makinley Matherne has Stage 3 kidney cancer – a disease that has taken the beautiful child from the carefree world of toys and dollhouses and into the rigors of chemotherapy and everything else cancer brings.
Makinley’s fight is just beginning. Doctors have been forthright in proclaiming that the child has a long journey forthcoming as she pushes toward 100 percent, cancer-free health.
But as the young child fights, a community is rallying to support its own.
Devastated by the news of Makinley’s condition and motivated to make a difference, three South Lafourche women have created the Praying For Mak Softball Tournament, which will take place at the Larose Regional Park softball fields on July 18.
All proceeds for the one-pitch tournament will go to benefit the family with medical expenses they’ll incur throughout Makinley’s fight.
Cost to enter is $150 per team, and the reception so far has been “absolutely astonishing,” according to tournament co-founder Tiffany Jackson Billiot, who helped create the tournament with fellow south Lafourche Parish natives Kristi Jarreau and Sandy Guidry.
“The reception has been astonishing,” Jackson Billiot said. “We have at least 10 teams signed up to play already and numerous businesses and organizations around the community have reached out to sponsor or make a donation. … We feel blessed to be a part of something so extraordinary.”
For one night, the focus will be on softball and family-oriented fun. But for little Makinley, the upcoming days and weeks ahead are crammed with nothing but doctor’s visits, hospital stays and treatment.
Since being diagnosed, the young girl has had an operation to have her left kidney removed from her body. From there, Makinley is about to enter a long and vigorous regimen of both chemotherapy and radiation in an attempt to fight the cancer and eliminate it from the child’s body.
Jackson Billiot described Makinley as a tough child, adding that she is staying as happy and upbeat as possible throughout the entire situation.
Even through disease, Makinley takes time to shine her bright smile, according to Jackson Billiot and others who have shared time with the child. That smile and Makinley’s beautiful, bright blue eyes light up every room that she’s ever entered, according to those who know the kid.
“She’s beautiful inside and out,” Jackson Billiot said. “She touches everyone that meets her. She’s definitely a tough girl. She’s resilient and doesn’t give up without a good fight.”
Once news of Makinley’s fight became public in south Lafourche, the community received it like a kick to the gut. Photos of the child swarmed through Facebook and the hashtag #PrayingForMak spread through social media like wildfire.
It was during that time that Jackson Billiot said that she and her friends got the idea to help.
She said that she, Guidry and Jarreau are all involved in softball in some form or fashion and decided that a tournament would be the best way to both raise money and create a positive, fun-filled event for citizens.
From there, the rest is history.
Smith was a high school classmate of Jackson Billiot at South Lafourche High School and is a “very dear friend” to the three tournament organizers.
“When we found out about Stephanie’s daughter’s condition, it broke our heart and we felt the need to do something – we just didn’t know what,” Jackson Billiot said. “Kristi, Sandy and I are all involved in softball in one way or another. Krisi and I both have kids that play ball and Sandy is a board member from the Larose Little League and she’s active in the women’s league. So we thought why not a softball tournament?
“We all had the exact same feeling – that burning desire to do something. We wanted to help. We wanted to assist this single, hard-working mother and her sick daughter in a financial way so that she could have one less thing to worry about.”
Apparently the rest of the community felt the same way as Guidry, Jarreau and Jackson Billiot.
Since the tournament was announced, teams have swarmed to sign up to compete. Locals have also made donations to pitch in the cause.
On social media, a Facebook group titled Praying For Mak already has 2,000-plus likes with countless messages coming in each day from citizens wishing to send well wishes to the child and her family.
Jackson Billiot said that the reception the tournament has received and the entire #PrayingForMak movement has been amazing. She said that it’s another shining example of how strong a community can be if it unites and pulls in the same direction for a common goal.
“Some people complain about living in a small community, but it feels truly amazing living in an area that has such a huge heart and rallies together for someone in their time of need,” Jackson Billiot said.
Those wishing to enter a team into the tournament or make a donation are asked to call either 985-258-6483, 985-258-1996 or 985-228-4796.
Seven-year-old Makinley Matherne lays in her hospital bed – her new resting spot for the coming weeks as she undergoes treatment for Stage 3 kidney cancer. The community has rallied around the #PrayersForMak cause and are aiding in her fight. A softball tournament will be held on July 18 at the Larose Regional Park to raise money to help Makinley’s family pay for her treatments.
