ATLANTA — As the 25th annual WSB Care-a-Thon approaches, a former patient who was featured during the very first broadcast is sharing his story of strength and survival.
At just 18 months old, Mitchell Odendahl was a happy toddler when his parents rushed him to the ER after noticing blood. “The ER doctor started feeling around on his abdomen and said, ‘What’s this? There’s something here,’” recalled his mother, Lisa Odendahl. “I will never forget those words.”
That “something” turned out to be a Wilms tumor on Mitchell’s kidney, the size of a grapefruit. Within days, he underwent surgery, followed by a grueling six months of chemotherapy and over 100 nights spent in the hospital.
Mitchell, now 26, says he has no memory of the treatment itself but remembers the bond he formed with former WSB reporter Bob Cox, who interviewed him during the very first Care-a-Thon. The moment captured when Cox asked the toddler what he liked for lunch and Mitchell simply replied, “Crackers” sparked a friendship that has lasted decades.
“I still love crackers,” Mitchell joked.
Looking back on the first Care-a-Thon, Cox reflected, “I don’t think any of us had an idea when Scott came up with the idea of a radiothon for Children’s Healthcare what that would sound like and what our role in it might be.”
For Lisa, the experience left a lasting mark, not just because of her son’s recovery, but because of the care they received. “Truly angels on earth,” she said. “They were just unbelievable.”
Today, Lisa works with other families battling childhood cancer. Mitchell, now cancer-free, shares a message of perseverance: “As long as you put your head down and keep grinding, there’s good things that come out on the other side. It may be difficult, but it’s so much more worth it if you have to work harder for it. Good luck to anybody out there. Wish everybody the best.”
The 25th annual WSB Care-a-Thon airs Thursday, July 24 and Friday, July 25, raising funds for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the same place that helped save Mitchell’s life.
WSB’s Lisa Nicholas contributed to this story
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