Madelyn’s Story: Finding Hope After a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis

For John and Jessica Zeltinger, their daughter, Madelyn, is proof of how quickly life can change.

 

At 5 years old, Madelyn was a happy, healthy preschooler who loved helping on the family farm — located near Kenmare, North Dakota — playing with her three younger brothers and exploring new things. 

 

Then, one evening last spring, everything changed.  

 

Madelyn was getting ready for bed when John and Jessica noticed her stomach was distended. Madelyn assured them her tummy didn’t hurt but, out of concern, they took her to their local doctor the next day.  

 

From there, things moved quickly. An emergency CT scan and a referral to Sanford Children’s in Fargo revealed the devastating news: Madelyn was diagnosed with a stage 4 Wilms Tumor, also known as nephroblastoma, a rare kidney cancer that usually affects children under the age of five.  

 

“It was such a whirlwind of emotions,” John said. “One day everything is fine and the next day we’re in the hospital facing a stage 4 cancer diagnosis.” 

 

A childhood cancer diagnosis is terrifying for any parent, however, in Madelyn’s case, John said the prognosis was promising. “Doctors said there was a 75% chance of lasting remission. So as scary as it was, we were cautiously hopeful.” 

 

For the Zeltinger family, it was the beginning of a difficult journey. But thanks to Sanford Children’s in Bismarck, the family would find everything they needed to navigate the road ahead. 

From day one of her diagnosis, we felt reassured knowing the team at Sanford was doing everything they could to help Madelyn get better.
Jessica
Madelyn’s mom

Treatment Begins

Following her diagnosis, Madelyn’s care team quickly put her treatment plan into motion.  

 

She spent 10 days at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Fargo where she also received her first chemotherapy treatment. It was a moment John will never forget. 

 

“I remember seeing the biohazard sign posted outside Madelyn’s hospital room during her first chemo treatment,” he said. “It just took my breath away.”  

 

From there, Madelyn was able to return home for the next course of treatment. Over the next six weeks, she and her parents traveled more than 300 miles round trip to and from Bismarck for six more rounds of chemo.  

 

Madelyn had surgery on May 20 where doctors removed one kidney and some impacted lymph nodes. After surgery, she began an intensive radiation schedule, followed by another 26-week course of chemo.  

 

Managing Madelyn’s care, along with the needs of their three younger children, wasn’t easy for John and Jessica — especially given their location. The family lives about three hours northwest of Bismarck. But thanks to help from family members, and the support of Sanford Children’s in Bismarck, they made it work. 

 

“We met so many kind folks at Sanford and we’ve been shown so much kindness along the way,” Jessica said. 

Help for the Journey

Reflecting on her daughter’s journey, Jessica said services like Child Life played a big role in helping Madelyn every step of the way.  

The Child Life team helped ease Madelyn’s fear and anxiety during things like lab draws, anytime she had to have her port accessed, before and after her surgery, and during a period this summer when she needed daily radiation. Melissa, her Child Life specialist, even played the ukulele a couple times to help get Madelyn through shots and procedures.
Jessica
Madelyn’s mom

Today, Madelyn is growing stronger every day. She recently celebrated her sixth birthday and she’s been busy making plans for her future. 

 

“She wants to be a farmer like her daddy,” Jessica said. “Right now, her biggest joys are riding on the tractor with her dad or riding in the combine with her grandpa.”  

Paying Kindness Forward

Today, as the 2025 Children’s Ambassador for Sanford Children’s Hospital in Bismarck, Madelyn and her family are sharing their incredible story to help raise awareness and inspire support. 

 

“After all the help we’ve been given, we want to do something to help other kids find the care they need, close to home,” Jessica said.

Give for Children. Give for Good.

Each year, thousands of kids from across central and western North Dakota — and beyond — turn to Sanford Children’s Hospital in Bismarck for extra or unexpected care, close to home. But many more are waiting for hope.

 

As the region’s largest, nonprofit children’s hospital, it takes all of us to give every child the hopeful, healthy future they deserve. 

 

If you’re inspired by this story and want to join our work to further transform pediatric health care for our region, we invite you to Give for Good today. 100% of your gift through the Sanford Health Foundation will help advance world-class pediatric care and specialty programs to surround local kids, like Madelyn, with everything they need to get better, faster.