Brotherly Love: Moms Remember Their Two Sons
CHERRY HILL, NJ (CBS) -- We've introduced you before to Max Levine, the Cherry Hill teenager who battled neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. It's the same form of cancer that claimed the life of Alex Scott. Now we want to introduce you to Max's good friend, Matt Schechter.
"Matt and Max liked a lot of the same things, scary movies, video games," said Sue Levine, Max's mother.
Matt and Max were best friends with a bond so rare and so heartbreaking.
"Unfortunately, they had cancer in common," said Cindy Schechter, Matt's mother.
But they enjoyed and lived life to the fullest.
"They would go out for pizza and have a good ol' time," said Sue.
That's the one thing they didn't have: time. Max was fighting neuroblastoma; Matt, high-risk leukemia. They met in the hospital and would set up Alex's Lemonade Stands to raise money for cancer research. Their moms also become good friends.
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"It means the world to me. She's like my sister," said Cindy.
These friends, "sisters," also share a bond: the death of a child. Max died in 2008. Just last year, Matt passed away. Since then, their bond has grown even stronger.
"Cindy will call, and I'll pick up the phone, and she'll know instantly that I'm having a bad day, and she'll drag me out of the house, and vice versa," said Sue Levine.
After the deaths of their sons, Sue Levine and Cindy Schechter started a fund to fight high-risk cancer. They named it after Matt and Max: the M&M Fund. It's part of the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
"Real money can find real cures and real treatments for kids like Max and Matt," said Sue.
Even though the two friends with big smiles are no longer with us, they left their imprint on the world, and their giving spirit will be with us for years to come, thanks to a new bond cemented by Cindy and Sue.
"It's really a great thing for us to have each other," said Cindy.
The M&M Fund has raised more than $60,000 in three years.
For more information on the M&M Fund, click here.
Reported by Dave Huddleston, CBS 3
