Fighter Maverick Fundraiser held in Waverly

Maverick Pepper was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer back in April.

Now, the Waverly community is going above and beyond to help the family in their time of need.

In April, just days before the Peppers were set to move to Minnesota, they received some unfortunate news.

Their two year old son Maverick was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer.

The families move turned into weekly trips to the hospital.

"We did chemo for six weeks prior to the surgery, it shrunk by half. It started as the size of a small cantaloupe and shrunk 50% so to the size of a small Nerf football," said Jennifer Pepper.

Jennifer and Travis Pepper are from Waverly, Nebraska.

It didn’t take long for the community to rally behind them.

A go fund me was set up and Jennifer’s sister reached out to many local organizations.

She says over 25 of them donated to the family.

"I don’t even know how to put it into words how awesome it all turned out and came together. It’s fantastic that everybody is so willing to help," said Rebecca Holmes-Yuen, Jennifer’s sister.

Saturday’s fundraiser, called Fighter Maverick, featured a silent auction, a raffle, a DJ and even a meet and greet with some superheroes.

Maverick is in stage three of his tumor. He still must go through additional chemo therapy to make sure the tumor doesn’t spread anymore than it has.

"Maverick has already had his surgery to remove the tumor and kidney. He’s still going to undergo about 15 more weeks of chemotherapy," said Jennifer Pepper.

The fundraiser also featured the sale of some Maverick-themed wristbands and T-shirts.

The Peppers have already raised $14,000 for travel expenses and medical bills.

They are hoping to surpass $20,000 after today’s fundraiser.

"We’re very grateful for everybody that’s been able to donate and even just reach out. The prayers, the thoughts, the cards, everything, it has been wonderful," said Jennifer Pepper.

If you’d like to get involved and donate to the Pepper family, you can find their information on Facebook at Fighter Maverick, or you can go to this web address: www.facebook.com/donate/568130903574031/.