(KNSI) – The St. Cloud and Sartell squirts youth hockey teams faced off to raise over $6,000 to help one of their own and support a nonprofit that helps families fighting cancer.
The Sartell Youth Hockey Association raised $2,800 for Mason Schroeder, who is battling cancer.
In February 2024, the now six-year-old was diagnosed with stage three Rhabdomyosarcoma. According to Mason’s family, because of the tumor’s size and location, surgery wasn’t an option, so he endured 42 rounds of chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital of Minnesota in Minneapolis and six weeks of radiation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
After ten months in remission, Mason’s cancer returned in the same spot in late 2025. To ensure it hadn’t spread, he underwent multiple procedures, including a PET scan, removal of tonsils and lymph nodes, a spinal tap, and reinsertion of his port. Thankfully, all results came back negative. Doctors believe a few resilient cells may have survived the first treatment, causing the recurrence.
Mason is now facing six more rounds of chemotherapy. After a follow-up scan, if the tumor has shrunk, he will undergo surgery to remove it, followed by another 36 rounds of chemo and radiation.
The St. Cloud team skated in support of the local Indy Foundation, raising $3,607. The foundation is a central Minnesota organization that provides vital support to families facing cancer by helping cover everyday expenses during treatment, such as housing, transportation, and basic needs, so families can focus on healing and time together.
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