Most people mark the end of cancer treatment with relief, maybe tears, maybe a quiet moment with family. IronKid Bennett marked his with a charity art benefit.
On March 26, 2026, Bennett hosted his “Walk Out” Charity Benefit at Gallery 24 in Rochester, Minnesota — a celebration of his final oncology appointment at Mayo Clinic, and a thank-you to the foundations that supported his family through one of the hardest stretches of their lives.
Students and young artists donated their work to the event, with proceeds split equally among three foundations: the Payton Wright Foundation, the Alex Schmidt Memorial Foundation, and IronMatt.
A life interrupted
Bennett was diagnosed with medulloblastoma as a teenager — a brain tumor that arrived suddenly and without warning, upending a life that looked like any other: a student, a golfer, a skier, a kid looking forward to Christmas break. What followed was grueling treatments, uncertainty, and the kind of fear no family should have to carry alone.
IronMatt was honored to be part of Bennett’s support system during that time, assisting his family on two separate occasions in 2025 for a total of approximately $7,000.
Paying back and paying it forward
“We have been humbled by your generosity and humanity during our hardship; that has been both arduous and yet beautiful because of foundations like yours and people like you,” wrote his mother Amanda in an email.
“Our greatest hope for any of this advocacy is that our friends, supporters, and strangers don’t wait for it matter to them and hopefully contribute to foundations such as yours because they see a Bennett in their family, or a friend, etc.”
That’s just what Bennett inspired, with art and an evening of community and generosity that brought strangers together in his name.
That’s the thing about the IronMatt community: the giving doesn’t stop with us. It multiplies. Families who’ve been carried through something impossible often turn around and carry others. And that’s exactly what Bennett did.
We’re so proud of him. And we’re grateful that his family chose to shine a light on the foundations that helped make this chapter possible.
To Bennett: congratulations on your walk out. You’ve already shown us who you are.
IronMatt provides financial assistance to families battling pediatric brain tumors and funds research toward a cure. Learn more or make a gift here.