Faced with a cancer diagnosis of his own, man donates tablets to kids fighting cancer

MADERA, Calif. -- A man in Central California knows what it's like to battle cancer, and he's hoping a donation to a local children's hospital will help kids going through the same issue.

"Started getting sick in October, found out it was esophagus cancer," said Mitchell Riegelhuth. "The last eight weeks I've been going through aggressive radiation and chemotherapy."

"With chemo, you're nauseous, you're fatigued," Riegelhuth explained. "The most heartbreaking part for me is seeing children getting radiation. Just to see these children that are small, like my 4-year-old granddaughter's age. Every time I see it I get teary-eyed."

During one of his chemotherapy appointments, Riegelhuth noticed other patients going through the process without anything to keep them entertained. He realized that having a tablet would go a long way towards keeping kids busy during their treatment.

With the help of the community, Riegelhuth donated 86 tablets to kids battling cancer at Valley Children's Hospital in Madera, California.

"They're going through a major ordeal," said Rob Saroyan with the Valley Children's Healthcare Foundation. "And it's gestures like this that inspire them and gives them that extra level of support they need that really makes a difference at the bedside of each child."

"I didn't do it for me, I did it for the children," Riegelhuth said. "As long as I'm alive, I'm supposed to keep doing."