Each year at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the Red Bluff Round-Up is teamed up with Las Vegas Events, Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), and Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation to honor children and their families fighting life-threatening cancer through the Golden Circle of Champions. Founded in 2016, a total of 20 families are chosen each year. This year the RBRU Directors chose 14-year-old Madi Swann as our Golden Circle Champion.
Madi is a cheerful, very active teenager who loves horseback riding with her friends, cheerleading, hunting, fly-fishing, rodeo, shooting, and playing volleyball. She has a love for the outdoors and a love for animals. According to Madi’s parents, she “...has the best personality, sense of humor and most loving heart a parent could ever ask for. [She’s] just an overall amazing kid!”
On November 4th, 2021 the Swann Family received some of the most devastating news a family can hear, "Your daughter has cancer.” After months and months of trying to diagnose suspicious pain that was increasing in her shoulder, hip, and knee along with swelling, the family received an emergency call from an E.R. doctor at St. Elizabeth’s stating that Madi’s labs had been sent to U.C. Davis and they needed to bring her back in immediately in order to fly her out. The next morning Madi was diagnosed with Precursor B Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-ALL). It is an aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia that attacks Madi’s white blood cells.
Madi’s treatment is expected to take two years. Since November she has been admitted to U.C. Davis every 15 days as part of her treatment plan. Additionally, she receives chemotherapy weekly at home. Nonetheless, Madi’s family says she is facing this head-on and without hesitation. While it is a long road ahead, the prognosis is very good. As of now, there is more than a 90% remission rate. Madi has a 21-year-old brother, Austin, and a 32-year-old sister, Samm. They are her best friends! If you ask her siblings and her parents, Jason and Heidi, Madi is a warrior.
“We are very proud of her and not surprised by her strength,” Heidi Swann.
They will continue to have frequent trips from Redding to Sacramento for Madi’s treatments and other procedures that they are unable to have done locally due to the lack of pediatric oncology centers. This will include needing to be in Sacramento four days a week for four weeks as part of her treatment. While this is the hardest thing the Swann Family has ever had to face, they are extremely grateful for the prayers and support received.
Madi’s doctors have also worked it out to allow time for Madi to attend Friday’s performance during this year’s Red Bluff Round-Up in between her chemotherapy. The Red Bluff Round-Up Association is proud to have Madi as our Golden Circle of Champions recipient for 2022.