By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
At 8 years old, Maddie Muller received earthshattering news in the form of a cancer diagnosis. It was ovarian dysgerminoma cancer, her pediatrician said, and it would require four rounds of chemotherapy — treatments that would leave the young girl nauseous, dazed, and exhausted. Even as her body weakened under the toll of that treatment, Maddie found that she could still capture something all children need — the joy of play — any time she sat atop her HoverflyKart, a hoverboard with go-kart attachments, and zipped down the street with the neighborhood kids.
Five years later, the St. Patrick Catholic School eighth grader — now cancer free — passes along that gift of play to children with stories like her own through Warriors Play Too, a Dallas-based nonprofit that gives rideable toys to children across the United States who are actively battling cancer.
“It really is a battle going through cancer that young,” Maddie, now 13, said. “I just want to help as many kids as I can and bring them together more as a community, because I feel like that’s really powerful.”
Through Warriors Play Too, children facing cancer can get outside and active in a way that is safe, fun, and not too physically strenuous, Maddie said. For older kids, that might mean hopping onto an electric scooter or bike, while “wiggle cars” or wagons may be a better fit for younger children. Toy Jeeps, Maddie said, have also been a popular pick.
“The kids have been having a ton of fun with those,” she shared. “It’s been really great seeing the pictures and everything — I mean, it’s just the sweetest thing.”
For Maddie, Warriors Play Too is about fostering fun but also about creating community — something that can be all-important in the face of an often scary and isolating disease. Recalling her own cancer story, Maddie shared the shock and confusion she felt when her parents first disclosed her diagnosis in 2020. Cancer was something mythic and removed, she recalled thinking, not something that could actually happen to her.
“You’re just reeling,” Maddie’s mother, Jennifer Muller, shared. “You’re shocked, devastated, terrified — all the horrible emotions.”
As Maddie gained a chemo port and lost her hair, a community gathered around the Muller family to offer them support in their tussle with the terrible illness. Neighbors from all corners of their lives lined up to offer a listening ear, a warm meal, or a letter of encouragement.
“In the very beginning, you’re kind of like, ‘Do we really need all that?’” Jennifer said, before adding, “You need all that. It was incredibly helpful.”
Maddie’s final cancer treatment wrapped in 2021, signaled by the triumphant ring of a bell; and that same year, she joined the St. Patrick Catholic School community as a fourth-grade student. Still recovering from chemotherapy, Maddie’s immune system was weak, and her hair — which she had lost during the course of her treatment — was just starting to grow back.
“It could have been a rough transition,” Jennifer said, but St. Patrick “welcomed us with the most open, open arms.”
Recalling the overflowing support that the cancer survivor received from family, friends, and both her faith and school communities, Maddie said she knew — even in those early days — that she wanted to be that support, in some way, for other kids undergoing treatment.
Accompanied by her mother, the St. Patrick student made her first Warriors Play Too delivery in June of 2025 to then-3-year-old Bailey Wilson, who, like Maddie, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The Mullers offered their anecdotal guidance to the family, some words of encouragement, and, of course, a bright blue toy Jeep.
“That support was amazing,” Bailey’s mother, Bethany Wilson, said, recalling the moment of connection between the two families who had been touched by cancer. “It meant so much to our family.”
Cutline for featured image: St. Patrick Catholic School student Maddie Muller, left, poses for a photo with her mother, Jennifer Muller, at their home on Jan. 12. Maddie, a cancer survivor, started the nonprofit Warriors Play Too to gift rideable toys to children undergoing active cancer treatment. (AMY WHITE/The Texas Catholic)
