The community has pitched in to help the family of 3-year-old Lance Maxwell, who has many health issues, including cerebral palsy.

Lance’s first stem cell treatment totaled $10,000 and is not covered by insurance. The family, who now lives in Camp Hill, has done some local fundraising to help with the cost.

“As long as he is responding and making progress, you can basically do as many stem cell transfers that you can afford,” said his mother, Dani Maxwell. “I sold Christmas crafts to help raise the money and we did some little fundraisers. We knew we were going to do another one - we had basket raffles and some other things planned in the spring, but then COVID-19 came and destroyed some of our fundraising plans.”

In September, Roadies at Penn’s Peak hosted a Dine and Donate on Lance’s behalf, where 20% of each patron’s bill was donated to him.

Among attendees were members of the St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Nesquehoning, which also generously donated.

“As soon as I found out about it, and I asked the people of my church, they all opened their wallets,” said Nancy Kerestus, board president. “It really tugged at my heart. We wanted to do something to help.

“At first, we were just going to give the little boy some toys and things, but when I found out they were trying to save up for a stem cell transplant, I knew it was time to go for money.”

Additionally, members of a few area classic car groups made the cruise to Penn’s Peak to give Lance a show.

“We were touched,” said classic car enthusiast Dominic DiFusco. “The family is fantastic and such nice people. I reached out to a bunch of our guys. … There were six of us with our cars that cruised out there. Lance is a beautiful boy, and it was a great day.”

Lance is a fighter who never gives up, overcomes challenges and inspires everyone around him. As Lance continues his journey, his wonderful family will be there every step of the way to support and push him to succeed.

Lance’s next stem cell transplant is scheduled for February in Arizona. Visit app.cofundhealth.com/campaigns and search “Lance Maxwell” to contribute.