‘So much joy:’ Clay County boy fighting cancer gets a brand-new playset

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. — A Clay County 7-year-old who is fighting cancer now has a brand-new playground in his backyard.

Mitchell Fidler, who goes by Dean, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the beginning of this year.

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“He started having headaches in January of this year,” Shelby Fidler, Dean’s mom, said. “In February of this year, we went for an outpatient visit at Wolfson and he was diagnosed that night.

To help provide some fun between hospital visits or treatments, a brand new playground now sits in his backyard.

“It’s just the best thing ever,” Robin Eikill, a build leader with the Roc Solid Foundation, said. “It’s the best feeling in the world to see their faces.”

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This was made possible through the Roc Solid Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides playsets for kids fighting cancer nationwide.

“When they are playing, what they are not thinking about is cancer,” Eikill said.

This year, the nonprofit organization aims to build nearly 80 playsets and playhouses for families of pediatric cancer patients across the country in three days this month.

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Building the playset in Dean’s backyard was a team effort. More than a dozen local volunteers separated into groups. And they each tackled a different section of the playground.

As Dean continues his fight with cancer, his mom said watching him play outside means the world to her.

“He is just the strongest kid I know because he always has a smile on his face,” Fidler said. “It’s just going to bring me so much joy to have him have so much joy.”

Dean’s family has a GoFundMe page set up to fund his treatments. Click here to learn more.

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