Courtney Clyde became an advocate for pediatric cancer research after her daughter, Mackenzie, was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2018 at the age of 7.

Clyde, regional manager for donor recruitment at Milwaukee-based nonprofit blood health organization Versiti, and her husband, Pat Clyde, started volunteering for the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Wisconsin, where their daughter was diagnosed.

“It was very traumatic, seeing everything that my daughter was experiencing, and also a lot of the other children that we saw coming in and out of the clinic and at the hospital,” Clyde said. “So, I started to become active in just raising awareness.”

At the time, Clyde was a teacher and had not yet been hired at Versiti. She hosted blood drives for Versiti as a way to give back because “you felt very helpless, for lack of a better term, in a situation like that, and so feeling like you could at least help provide blood products to the patients was something that felt really good,” she said.

While Mackenzie underwent treatment, the Clydes started collecting toys and books to donate to the MACC Fund Center clinic. Children visiting the clinic can pick out an item from a toy closet. Courtney shared an Amazon Wishlist seeking items that her family could donate to the clinic.

“(Mackenzie) never asked for anything or to keep anything,” Clyde said. “She was always really happy to take it in and know that it was going to go help other kids like herself.”

Mackenzie died in April 2021. She was 10 years old.

Clyde and her husband are executive directors of Brave Like Mackenzie, a nonprofit they founded in 2023. Through the organization, the Clydes accept donations for art supplies, books and gift cards for families.

“When people donate toys, or they donate art supplies, they donate books, they often do it for littles, but they don’t do it for I would say, kiddos that are the age range of 12 and up,” Clyde said. “We try to be cognizant of that as well, and how can we be inclusive of all of the patients that are receiving cancer
treatment?”

It’s their goal to donate $1,000 worth of books every month or every other month. They also raise funds for cancer research.

“I think it’s a way to keep Mackenzie’s love in the world,” Clyde said. “I also think that for all of us finding purpose and helping others, I don’t think that there’s anything better that we can do with our very short time here. When I think about when I’m no longer here, if someone says that I helped a lot of people and I made an impact on someone’s life, I think that there’s no better compliment.”