VIDEO – Teen Raises $30K for St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Stock Show: ‘They Saved My Life’

A teenage cancer survivor in Boerne, Texas, raised over $30,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at a recent livestock auction.

Seventeen-year-old Maddie Barber was fighting what she thought were migraines, however, in 2017 following multiple tests she received an answer to what was happening, KSAT reported Friday.

“I had brain cancer. It was called medulloblastoma. It was about an avocado seed-sized tumor on my brain stem,” the young woman recalled.

Medulloblastoma was described as a primary central nervous system tumor, meaning it starts in a person’s brain or spinal cord, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Barber spent eight months at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital with her family members supporting her every step of the way.

She has been cancer-free since that time and was recovering when she discovered the hobby of growing livestock for shows.

“I enjoy watching the pigs grow up,” she explained, adding she loves feeding the piglets.

This year, Barber placed second in her category during the Kendall County Jr. Livestock Show:

There was also a fundraiser for young people during the premium sales.

When the Champion High School junior got permission from her father, Barber decided the money she raised would be given to an organization very dear to her and relayed the plan to the auctioneer.

“Right after he said all donations go to St. Jude, all the cards went up. All the bidding cards went up,” the young woman commented.

“St. Jude, they saved my life, so I owe them my life. They supported me with, like, not just the cancer — they supported me, and they supported my parents and my brother,” she added.

Barber explained the $30,500 gift would not have happened without the community and agriculture instructors who taught her the ropes when it came to showing pigs.

In a social media post January 12, Boerne ISD shared a photo of Barber with her pig:

“Wow! This is an absolutely amazing gesture from Maddie and we are extremely proud of her!” the post read.