MONROE — The Cheesemakers dropped a four-set match with Whitewater on Sept. 29, but the night was about more than just volleyball. In cooperation with Camp Kesem, Monroe held its annual Cancer Awareness game, which included a Miracle Minute. Fans showed up to support families and loved ones touched by cancer.
Monroe senior Maddy DeMuth gave a speech before the varsity match kicked off, telling the crowd of her family’s own struggles. Her father, Dan DeMuth, died in August 2025 after a battle with kidney cancer.
The proceeds raised during the night are going to Camp Kesem, Maddy DeMuth shared.
“When I was a freshman in high school, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer,” she said. “My life changed overnight. I didn’t feel like an average teenager anymore. Cancer became a part of my everyday life, and there were so many things that I was experiencing that most kids my age simply couldn’t understand.”
Through the cancer journey, she and her brothers were connected with Camp Kesem. Camp Kesem is a free, week-long camp for kids ages 6 to 18 who have a parent affected by cancer. It doesn’t matter if the parent is currently battling cancer, in remission, or has died from cancer.
“I’ll be honest — I was terrified to go to camp. But when I got there, I met people who just ‘got it’. I didn’t have to explain why I felt the way I did. I was surrounded by kids who understood the fear, the uncertainty, the sadness and all of the changes that come with having a parent with cancer,” Maddy said.
One of the amazing things about the camp was she saw how other children were handling their situations.
“I saw kids my age who had lost their parents and they were not just surviving, but continuing to live, laugh and thrive,” Maddy said. “Many of the counselors who work at Camp Kesem were once campers themselves. They understood what we were going through because they had been there too.”
The support doesn’t end when camp does — Camp Kesem has continued to surround the DeMuth family with love throughout the entire year, sending birthday cards, Father’s Day cards and cards on the anniversary of Dan’s death.
“They remember. They understand that cancer doesn’t end with the funeral. And they remind us that we aren’t alone,” Maddy said. “When my dad passed away … over a dozen Camp Kesem campers and counselors drove hours from all over the state to be there for me and my brothers.”
Counselors from UW-Madison Camp Kesem chapter were in attendance for the volleyball match. Maddy DeMuth asked the crowd to help donate funds to the camp so it can continue helping children from across the region.
“Please consider making a donation. It isn’t just helping fund a summer camp. You’re giving a kid who has been touched by cancer a place to belong during one of the hardest times in their life,” she pleaded.
Her mother, Lisa DeMuth, a first grade teacher at Northside Elementary, was among the supporters in the crowd wearing special shirts to commemorate the game.
“Dan would have been very proud of her,” Lisa said.
Whitewater won the match in four sets, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15.
Monroe then lost on the road Oct. 1 at Jefferson in straight sets, 25-17, 30-28, 25-10. Next, the Cheesemakers travel to East Troy on Oct. 8 before playing in the Oct. 10 Cougar Volleyball Invite at Clinton. Monroe hosts Delavan-Darien in the regular season finale Oct. 13.
