By William Smith
Community Editor
The Roberts family of Danville knew that their late son Mason would want them to give back to the community that supported him during his final days.
He would have expected it of them.
“He really saw things as black and white, and he always wanted to do the right thing. He couldn’t understand it if people didn’t do the right thing,” his father, Cole Roberts, said. “Giving back is something he would do.”
To honor the memory of Mason, the family is hosting a mini-dance marathon fundraiser from 3 to 8 p.m. on April 9 at Danville Community Schools building at 419 S. Main St., Danville.
The event is an offshoot of the student-led University of Iowa Dance Marathon charity. The non-profit provides gift cards to eating establishments for families with children at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The charity also provides $5,000 to families for funeral expenses.
“This is a way for us to give back through Mason, to give back to other families going through difficult times,” Cole said.
It was every parents’ worse nightmare, remembered his mother, Erin Roberts. It started with a cough - then it got much worse.
Mason fought bravely against kaposiform lymphangiomatosis for nine months. He died on April 30, 2020, at the age of 13.
The disease that afflicted Mason is so rare that he was only one of 50 people in the country diagnosed with it. Kaposiform lymphangiomatosis is a rare and aggressive type of tumor and vascular malformation that results from the abnormal development of the lymphatic system, causing the vessels carrying lymphatic fluid throughout the body to expand and interconnect.
Always a Gentleman
Mason was not like other kids. He didn’t talk like other kids, either.
“His speech was a little delayed, but once he talked, his vocabulary was not that of typical childhood,” Cole said,
Mason loved bowties. He wanted to be a college professor who let his students drink coffee in the morning. He was obsessed with history.
“I always used to joke that he is an old man in a kid’s body,” Erin said, laughing at the recollection.
As the nurses, doctors, and volunteers found out during his extended stay at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Mason was a gentleman to all he encountered.
On his final day, every Iowa City doctor who treated Mason visited him one last time. His kindness and intelligence had turned him into somewhat of a celebrity at the hospital, and he handled it with the humility he was known for.
Despite his exhaustion, Mason sat up in his bed and waved at each of them individually, acknowledging their presence.
“He was incredibly intelligent and always thinking of other people,” Erin said.
Making Connections Despite Shyness
Like most kids, Mason enjoyed video games — although not always like the ones others did. He considered the popular video game “Fortnite” to be a bit of a scam.
“He would tell me, ‘They just nickel and dime you to death in that game,’” Erin said, smiling.
Once Mason figured out he could get the volunteers at the hospital to play video games with him, his initial shyness melted away. Mason had high-functioning autism and was self-aware enough to worry that his shyness cost him friendships.
“For the longest time, Mason felt like he was different. He felt like he was not relatable, and he felt like people didn’t understand him,” Cole said.
It was quite the opposite. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mason’s funeral was held outdoors, near the Danville Fire Station. More than 100 cars clogged the street for the service, turning into a low band FM station to hear the service. Many wore “Baby Yoda” shirts in honor of Mason’s love of “Star Wars.”
“We have had such a huge outpouring of support,” Erin said.
A Special Bond with His Sister
Turns out Mason was the coolest kid around. He listened to classic 80s rock and roll — bands such as AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. But he was not too cool to be nice to his sister Alexis, even if they would argue at times.
“He was always caring about me, and he let me know he cared about me,” Alexis said.
One of Mason’s final requests was to see Alexis. He knew he would be leaving soon, although his fear was largely abated by his faith in God and the afterlife.
His voice down to a croak, he whispered his favorite Dr. Seuss quote to her: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”