Fighting Cancer, MaxCure Holds Fundraiser at Churchill's

Teaming up to raise funds in the battle against cancer, the MaxCure Foundation held a fundraiser Thursday night at , turning space at Shopper's Park into a lively gala and concert venue.

MaxCure is named after Max Plotkin, who was diagnosed with a rare form of b-cell lymphoma in 2007, after a fall while playing baseball led his parents to suspect something was wrong. Fortunately for his family, Plotkin survived the treatment and is going strong today.

His mother, Annemarie Plotkin, described him as doing "amazing, amazing, amazing."

"He is a normal third grader," she said, noting that he plays sports and loves to draw.

The Plotkin family, who reside in Tenafly, NJ, started the foundation in 2008. According to father David Plotkin, it has raised almost $2 million. It has funded an immune cell lab at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with 65 percent of children receiving treatment at it being in remission, David Plotkin said. He also argued that pediatric cancer research, relative to that for adults, is underfunded.

“I am amazed at how one little boy can inspire his father to rethink the life that he lived for 39 years," David Plotkin said of his son.

MaxCure got in touch with Daniele Churchill, the owner of Churchill's, through mutual friend Amy Kass.

Kass, a Somers resident, said their families "are very close." These ties including being pregnant with her child, Jayden, at the same time as Annemarie was expecting Max. Kass' husband and David Plotkin also went to camp together growing up, she said. Kass also feels that people gravitate toward MaxCure because of the happy outcome involving Max.

Among those providing their support to the event was actress Catherine Zeta Jones, who served as an honorary chair.

“Having Catherine Zeta Jones on our team reinforces the importance of our mission and deepens our imprint in the area pediatric cancer causes," David Plotkin said.

Inside Churchill's, the store was packed as people shopped, with proceeds connected to the event.

The foundation also has a program for low-income families, called Beyond Barriers. It provides financial support while their children are battling cancer. Two children who benefitted from it, Qualeek McNeil and Michael Uyaguari, came to the event with their families.

"It has helped us a lot financially," said Felicia McNeil, Qualeek's mother.

For more information about MaxCure, you can go to maxcurefoundation.org