GUNNISON, Colo. – Even before he could walk, Michael Albers was making his mark on medical history.
“He was the first baby in the world they were able to expand T cells, and he opened the portal for all the other children fighting leukemia,” said his mother, Shelley Albers, who pointed out that Michael’s T cells had been sent to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia by his oncologist, Dr. Maureen O’Brien, now at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
It has led to CAR T cell therapy, a new approach to cancer treatment in which the Philadelphia hospital uses the bodies’ own immune cells, which fight infection, to kill off cancer cells.
“Now, there is a huge tower of research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to this research specifically,” Shelley Albers said.
In a 2013 clinical trial, Michael received the immunotherapy blinatumomab, which had been sent to the United States from Munich. After the treatment’s success, he underwent a bone-marrow transplant that was provided by a mother that had donated the blood from her umbilical cord. Blinatumomab was then picked up by Merck, a pharmaceutical company, in December 2014.
“It is now the frontline treatment for leukemia in children, and this research has spun off in a lot of different directions for all people,” Shelley Albers said, noting her son was just a few weeks shy of his first birthday when he was undergoing those treatments.
Michael’s story is one of the reasons why the volunteers who organize the annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration are so intent on helping with the fight against pediatric cancer. It’s why the group has teamed with the Golden Circle of Champions, a cause that was conceived to raise awareness and provide funds to help local children battling cancer.
Cattlemen’s Days is focusing its attention on raising funds and awareness for such diseases through its association with the Golden Circle of Champions. It will be the focus the annual event, set for Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. In fact, the opening performance of the rodeo will be Gold Night in recognition of the cause.
“Our giving focus is on the Golden Circle of Champions, because we want to put our attention on these kids and help fight childhood cancer,” said Karla Rundell, second vice president of the Cattlemen’s Days committee. “We want everyone wearing gold during the first night of the rodeo and honor any family that has their lives affected by pediatric cancer.”
Michael was just an infant when he was undergoing treatment. His T-cell expansion opened the door for more research, which helped develop more procedures to help others – children and adults alike – in their battles with cancer.
“This is bigger than us,” Shelley Albers said, adding that her son has been cured for more than seven years. “Dr. O’Brien has been spearheading this, and they’re saving life by life by life on the front range. That’s why I advocate hard, and I advocate like a soldier and a warrior for her and this cause and for these kids to bring awareness.”
Shelley Albers and her son were part of the Cattlemen’s Days contingent to the Golden Circle of Champions banquet this past December during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Michael was one of 20 children honored during the event, which also featured NFR contestants and other personnel who wanted to be part of the cause.
Michael was teamed with steer wrestler Ty Erickson, the 2019 world champion and a nine-time NFR qualifier; tie-down roper Cole Clemons; bullfighter Dusty Tuckness; and clown John Harrison, who has been a featured entertainer at Cattlemen’s Days multiple times. During their red-carpet introduction, Erickson and Clemons showed their own personalities by doing the worm, which not only invigorated the crowd but also enthralled their young counterpart.
“It was cool and really fun,” said Michael, who also took in other fun aspects of his trip to Las Vegas. “We went to the M&M store and the Coca-Cola factory, and it was fun going down the red carpet and all that.”
At 11, he didn’t really understand the enormity of ProRodeo’s grand finale. Michael is more in tune with his YouTube channels – Albers7 and Icon Slurp – than keeping tabs on the men and women who earn the right to perform in the Nevada desert each year. It didn’t take long before he realized their status in rodeo. He and his mom went to one of the 10 rounds at the Thomas & Mack Center, where Michael held up signs and was recognized on the in-house big screens.
“It wasn’t like in your fantasy movie where you think, ‘I would really like to meet this guy,’ ” he said. “But then when you’re there in person, you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, I know him. He’s my friend.’ ”
It’s experiences like those that help drive the cause for Golden Circle of Champions. Contestants wore gold during the Dec. 8 performance of the NFR as a sign of support.
“Michael loved the actual rodeo and holding up the cowboy signs,” Shelley Albers said. “Once he developed that personal connection to them and he saw them out in the arena, he had signs we held up for Ty and Cole, and we rooted for them. When the camera pointed to them, he loved that. He thought it was the coolest thing in the world to have that connection.”
That bond was created during a special day in Las Vegas. Golden Circle of Champions provided Western outfits for the children, and Michael suited up with a signed cowboy hat, jeans and a nice shirt emblazoned with sponsors’ insignias. Gunnison committeeman Kevin Coblentz even let Michael borrow a Western buckle to tie the outfit together.
It’s the perfect accessory for Cattlemen’s Days, which celebrates the ranching and agriculture foundation of the Gunnison Valley. The committee is taking advantage of this “Golden Opportunity” to help raise awareness and funds for Golden Circle of Champions.
The event will feature a mini broncs and mutton bustin’ competition for youth at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3 – there will also be a special clinic that morning, where some of the contestants will help other youngsters learn about the sport while also helping raise awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer.
The Cattlemen’s Cowboy Golf Scramble will also benefit Golden Circle of Champions on Wednesday, July 9, at Dos Rios Golf Club. Everyone involved with Cattlemen’s Days understands the importance of celebrating the youth of Gunnison County, whether they’re involved in 4H or battling a devastating disease.
“When you see a child that is struggling and suffering, it’s a game-changer,” Shelley Albers said. “When we were in Las Vegas during the Golden Circle of Champions, it just spoke to everybody’s heart that these kids were up there. They were in their moment. They were in their groove. They got be who they are.
“It was like the kids were leading the way. It was magical.”
What happens in Vegas happens in Gunnison, Colorado, too.