Help O'Fallon Girl Visit 'The Ellen Degeneres Show'

At 11-years-old, Mackenzie Woelbling, of O’Fallon, has beaten cancer three times.

She recently found out her cancer returned, and is preparing to battle the disease once again.

But she's not alone in her fight, as numerous family members and friends are offering their support.

Earlier this month, Mackenzie’s best friend and cousin Maiya Woelbling, 10, of St. Peters, stepped up to help Mackenzie and children battling cancer everywhere.

In honor of her cousin, Maiya shaved her head at the St. Baldrick’s fundraising event at Helen Fitzgerald’s Pub and Grill.

Now hundreds of people in the community are coming together to brighten Mackenzie’s day.

Meredith Sinak, 16, of Kirkwood, is a longtime family friend of the Woelblings. Two weeks ago, she began a quest to get Mackenzie to The Ellen Degeneres Show.

She hopes the talk show host can make Mackenzie’s dream of meeting singer and actress Selena Gomez come true.  

Meredith said when she found out Mackenzie was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time, she knew she had to do something to lift the 11-year-old’s spirits.

“Her entire story is truly inspiring to many people, and I want to give her something back for putting a smile on everyone's faces,” Meredith said. “That is why I am trying to get Ellen's attention to help make Mackenzie's dream come true.”

Meredith started by writing a letter to Ellen:  

Hi Ellen,

My name is Meredith Sinak. I am writing to share with you an inspiring story, which I think deserves to be heard.

Mackenzie Woelbling, currently 11 yrs old and a close family friend, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 3 yrs old. Not long after, her 28 yr old father Patrick was diagnosed with another form of cancer. Less than a year later, he passed away. Little Mackenzie struggled to understand what was happening.

After winning her first battle with cancer, Mackenzie was again diagnosed with cancer 2 more times and she managed to battle through them. However, Mackenzie has recently been diagnosed with cancer for the 4th time.

With all the previous procedures done on her in the past 8 yrs there's no way to tell what will happen now. Mackenzie's the strongest, most optimistic person I've ever met. Her ability to keep faith at such a young age is astounding to me. I've never met anyone who can put a smile on someones face as easily as Mackenzie can.

Most of all, she’s a fighter. She’s so inspiring and I need your help to keep that beautiful smile on her face.

Mackenzie's idol is Selena Gomez and I was wondering if there was ANY way you could make this little girl's dream come true by having her meet Selena.

Mackenzie never fails to amaze me and I am hoping to give her something back that will lift her spirits. She's already been through more than most of us will in a lifetime.#getMackenzieonEllen.

Friends Show Support On Facebook

Two weeks ago, Meredith started the Facebook group “Get Mackenzie on Ellen,” in hopes of grabbing the talkshow host’s attention.

“This may be a long shot, but it is well worth the try,” Meredith said. “In only one week of creating the page on Facebook, there was already close to 500 people and it has only grown since.”

Meredith said everyday there are more people willing to help spread awareness of Mackenzie's story. As of Wednesday, the Facebook group had 747 members sharing encouraging messages for Mackenzie and asking Ellen to help.

If you’d like to help Mackenzie visit The Ellen Degeneres Show, you can request to join the Facebook group here and are welcome to share your support, write a message to Ellen or help spread the word.