After loss of 3 kids to rare brain cancer, family on mission to spread awareness

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla.-  “It’s a loss no one should ever have to face” said Erin Mading.

She gave birth to five children in total, but, has now lost three to a rare form of brain cancer, called Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency, or CMMRD. CMMRD is formed through a genetic mutation that occurs in children.

Cody, and his younger sister Avery, passed away at age 17.

The youngest Mading daughter, Isabella, was diagnosed shortly afterwards. She died Saturday, at just 10 year old.

“She was stubborn at times, but always had a smile on her face.” said step father Mike Moffitt.  He tells WINK News he recalls Isabella’s, or Belle’s, spunk, and laughter, even in times of grief.

“Isabella really did a great job of bringing everyone together,” said Isabella’s step-father Mike Moffitt. “That’s probably what I’ll remember most about her because she’s the little girl that we moved into a new town and a new environment for her and she took over the whole neighborhood.”

“There’s gotta be something else..'” Isabella’s mother, Erin Mading, recalled saying “I had Olivia saying ‘mom, you gotta do something else.’ And I looked at her MRI over and over because now I think I’m a radiologist after looking at so many MRIs… I’m just like ‘oh my gosh, it looks like a tumor.'”

Erin Mading says both she and her former husband had a 25 percent chance of having the mutation, but didn’t find out until their first child, Cody, got sick.

After experiencing the effects of the disease with two of her children, she decided to try and be more proactive to help Isabella’s battle. The family moved to Pittsburgh, to meet with an Oncologist, Dr. Gary Mason.

“We really thought she had a chance, we had so much hope.” Mading said.

They hope their family’s experience, and their children’s stories, will help bring strength to others battling the same or similar forms of childhood cancer.

“I want to be honest with people and say, ‘I screwed up here,’ ‘I did this and I’ve looked here,’ and together we can all do this, you’re not alone, you can do this,” Mading said.

Mading says though she continues grieving the loss of her children, photos serve as a reminder of their memories togather and continue to give her hope that she’ll be able to help find a cure for such the devastating disease.

“We have a lot of faith, we know that this isn’t the end of the story, all three of our kids are in heaven,” Hading said.

If you’d like to donate to the cause, visit a Wells Fargo bank to make a donation to the Mading Foundation.

Isabella’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, February 13 at Anchor Christian Church in Bonita Springs. The service starts at 2PM, and is open to the public.