BOSTON — At just 10 years old, Max Acuto is a fighter.
“Max was diagnosed with leukemia last November, and the past 10 months have been incredibly challenging,” Bryan Acuto said.
Bryan is Max’s Dad. He’s seen the toll treatments take on his son.
“It’s been a long road,” Acuto said. “It’s going to continue to be a long road until we get to the end here.”
Over the past year, Max has gone through treatments, making him immunosuppressed.
“A lot of times, you know, he is either not feeling well or it’s not really safe for him to go around large groups of people,” Acuto said.
Max turned to video games as a way to escape reality and hang out with friends.
“Being able to not only keep his mind active but also give him that ability to connect with his friends that he couldn’t see on a daily basis,” Acuto said. “So the headsets, the yelling, the screaming, the laughing, all of that that was able to continue was really great.”
When the Make a Wish Foundation and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute asked Max what his wish would be, he didn’t hesitate.
“What I was hoping to do was just to meet Clix,” Max said.
Cody Conrod, known as “Clix,” is a professional Fortnite player and streamer.
“I’ve never had anyone grant a Make-A-Wish through me to see me. So Max was actually the first one,” Clix said.
Not only did they meet, Clix brought Max out on stage during the FNCS Global Championship.
The duo even played Fortnite together, securing a Victory Royale.
“Seeing his face was super, super surreal,” Clix said.
For Clix, the cause has a meaning.
“I actually had a couple of family members close to me that passed on from cancer”, Clix said.
With over 11 million followers combined across social media, Clix saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness.
“That’s the goal,” Clix said. “That’s really what every single thing is about, using your platform to help other people.”
Clix raised money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute through a charity stream, and by participating in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. It’s the same walk Max and his family attended.
“It was really nice because all them are donating to cancer research,” Max said.
While it was the first time Clix teamed up with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, he says it won’t be his last.
“I’m excited to see what’s next for me and Dana-Farber Center,” Clix said.
If you’d like to donate to Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, click here.
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