maggie holton
Born 2010 (10 years old)
ALL PROFITS FROM THE SALES OF THESE PRINTS WILL GO TO THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE IN HUNTINGTON, WV.
The first time I painted Maggie Holton, I didn’t use a canvas. I painted her as a mermaid on the side of a playground boat.
Maggie was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma when she was three years old. It is extremely rare, and her prognosis was terrifying. Maggie stayed in the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus when she was very sick. It’s apparently enormous and has everything you could ever want to play with. When Maggie came to our Ronald McDonald House in Huntington, she envisioned improvements. She wanted a playground that could accommodate her friend Jacob, who uses a wheelchair.
Maggie started fundraising by selling lemonade. She is an artist herself, and also raised money by creating an online art auction. She created a foundation called Maggie’s Mermaids, and I kid you not this little butt kicker raised $50,000. The playground design she chose is amazing. Thanks to her, the Ronald McDonald House of Huntington has a huge, beautiful, handicap accessible “Maggie’s Playground”, and her friend Jacob was able to swing and ride the merry-go-round.
Maggie is one of the sweetest, most kind hearted children I’ve ever met. Her years of aggressive treatments were something no child should ever have to endure, but she managed to have a powerfully positive attitude and a heart for helping others. I couldn’t be happier to report that just a couple months ago, Maggie’s scans came back clear and she was declared CURED. If that’s not badass, nothing is.
Thank you, Maggie Holton.