Making your mark in your early teens on the highly competitive scene of EnduroCross is a tough challenge for any rider.
By Tom Shanahan
Managing to do so while battling cancer at the same time though, is almost unfathomable.
But that is a battle that Bunbury KTM’s Maddox McCullum has endured and overcome.
The Mandurah local, who is now 16 years old, was making a name for himself at the Off Road Riding Club of WA in 2019.
Competing annually at Western Australia’s premier EnduroCross series, the Brookton Pony Express, in the Under 12 85cc/150cc class, McCullum was described by the event’s organiser Willie Thomson as a “diamond in the rough.”
“Maddox was always riding at the absolute edge every time he took part in our event,” Dirt High Promotions owner Mr Thomson said.
“That’s why it was such a shame that he was forced onto the sidelines when cancer struck.”
McCullum’s meteoric rise through the ranks was put to a sudden halt in 2021, when, then at 11 years of age, he was diagnosed with Stage 2 Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL).
NLPHL is an extremely rare cancer, accounting for around 5% of Hodkin Lymphoma cases and only 1 – 2 cases per million.
Starting regular chemotherapy shortly after diagnosis in 2021, McCullum said he never took his eyes off a return to riding despite all he was going through.
“It was quite devastating at the time, just trying to get through it all,” he said.
“It cut right through my first year of full racing.
“I always thought, well I’d hoped, to get back on the bike.
“I loved riding at the time and still do.”
Battling several setbacks throughout his recovery, including requiring surgery on a lymph node he had chemotherapy on, McCullum persisted through and by the end of 2021, was cleared of NLPHL.
After only one month of being in remission, McCullum was back on the bike around the family property, regaining the strength and feeling of riding in pursuit of his childhood dream.
McCullum’s mother Rebecca Bajaky recalled his comeback and said it wasn’t an easy ride getting back into racing, but he stayed strong in his desire to get back to his best.
“I honestly don’t know how he stayed so strong through it all, he is just so mentally strong,” she said.
“I’m very biased but he is such a phenomenal kid, if he can show how possible it is to overcome challenges like what he has faced I hope it can give other kid’s going through treatment inspiration.”
McCullum entered the 2025 season injury-free for the first time since recovery.
This set-back start to the season has paid dividends, with McCullum standing on the podium for the first time at the opening round of the Junior Brookton Pony Express in July.
He backed this up with impressive performances across the State, winning the latest Campbell Town Juniors and WA hard Enduro rounds for the first time.
McCullum said he is grateful for the support he has received and encourages everyone to stay vigilant about the risks of cancer.
“Always check yourself, you can never be too careful. Cancer is probably one of the worst things you can go through,” he said.
You can see Maddox McCullum fight it out for victory in the Junior Brookton Pony Express in the final round in Brookton happening August 29 – 31.