This holiday season, many kids got photos with Santa and had the jolly old man leave presents under their trees. But for 4-year-old Mason Knight, this Christmas was made extra special thanks to an arachnid surprise visit.
Local cosplayer group Capes For Kindness heard about Mason’s rough year. And when they found out about his love for Spider-Man, they decided to pay the young fan a visit.
When little Mason was only two years old doctors diagnosed him with DICER1 syndrome, a rare, inherited disorder that increases the risk for the development of certain types of tumors both benign and malignant. At that age, Mason had to go through surgery to remove a kidney due to a cystic nephroma.
In October 2022, Mason and his mom, former Frisco ISD PE coach Laura Fangman, had another health scare after Mason started crying saying he couldn’t breathe. Fangman rushed him to the hospital where doctors found that he had developed Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) a rare type of lung cancer most commonly found in children. On November 1, doctors performed another surgery on Mason to (successfully) remove a six inches mass from his lungs.
While the last surgery was a success, Mason’s fight is far from over. Roughly two weeks after the procedure he started his chemo treatment which will keep going for the next year. The chemotherapy combined with the expected, but highly unpleasant side effects forced Fangman to leave her full-time PE coach position to become the boy’s full-time caretaker.
Last Wednesday morning, while Mason was having fun on a slide at a local park with his mom, something behind the playground caught his eye: A full-suited Spider-Man headed towards him with his hand full of presents ready to spend an afternoon of fun and games before returning to his friendly neighborhood duties.
If like Spider-Man, you’d like to be a hero for Mason and his mom, you can find out more about his story and how to help them on their GoFundMe page. All extra money that they receive will be donated towards DICER1 research projects.