A Saskatoon family’s biggest fight comes outside the ring

Watch above: a boxing family is facing its biggest fight outside the ring

SASKATOON – A Saskatoon family is used to fighting battles inside the ring; earlier this year that shifted outside to the fight of their lives.

A month after one of the highest highs in boxing, the family suffered some blows.

“It was April 4th that I won the Canadian title and May 1st that I found out Dax (Daxton) was sick, had been diagnosed.  May 31st I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s definitely been a rough year,” said Michelle Nelson, Daxton’s mom and a boxer.

Watching him spar with his mom Michelle, toss the Frisbee with his dad Chad, and swing on his own, Daxton Selkirk looks like your typical fun loving three-year-old but this is one of his good days.

Daxton has nephrotic syndrome, a disease that attacks his kidneys.

“Watching your son try and play, you know he’s sick, he’s not doing well and he’s just a kid playing; that makes it pretty tough,” said Chad Selkirk, Daxton’s dad.

An experienced boxer, Nelson has just won her fight with cervical cancer but nothing she has accomplished in her own battle or in the ring prepared her to help her son face his fight.

“I found that harder then any fight I’ve ever had or anything to do with my cancer is him being sick,” Nelson said.

Daxton’s condition requires constant attention that has taken time away from the ring and the family run gym.

“We know the kids at the gym need us but yet we have our kids that need us too, with Dax being sick it’s really hard to divide where we got to be, our heart’s in both places,” said Nelson.

Support has been pouring in for the community minded family; Michelle’s older sister started a Go Fund Me page.

“I have kids myself and I know how stressful it is when they get the flu. I just can’t even imagine, I hate seeing how hard it is for her, poor little Dax,” said Angela Zazula, Daxton’s aunt.

Daxton goes between Saskatoon and Calgary for treatment. While one phase seems to be coming to an end, Michelle and Chad know there’s still a long road ahead.

To make a donation to help with Daxton’s medical and travel expenses you can go to gofundme.com/bizg0g.