Fins for Finn: A Story of Strength, Sharks, and Smiles
Some stories are hard to tell. This is one of them. But it’s also a story filled with imagination, resilience, and the kind of humor that only a 20-year-old could conjure—especially in the face of something as devastating as alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Finn Maxwell is a 2023 graduate of Colleyville Heritage High School. He’s smart, funny, wildly creative, and beloved by everyone who’s crossed his path. At just 20 years old, Finn is in the fight of his life against a rare and aggressive cancer. Even as this disease has taken so much from him, it hasn’t taken his spirit.
During his extended hospital stay, while heavily medicated, a nurse asked him the usual question:
“Is there anything I can bring you?”
Finn’s answer?
“A room full of puppy sharks.”
That’s the kind of soul Finn is. In a moment where most people would ask for comfort, he asked for joy. A surreal, hilarious kind of joy.
That moment sparked an idea—what if we could bring Finn’s vision to life?
Not a literal room full of puppy sharks (though we’d do it if we could), but something that carried that same sense of fun and hope. So we created Fins for Finn—a fundraiser built around Finn’s own creation: puppy shark t-shirts.
Designed with love and inspired by his imagination, these shirts are more than just a fun design. They’re a symbol of Finn’s spirit. They’re for anyone who’s ever needed a smile in the dark. And they’re helping raise critical funds for Finn’s ongoing care and comfort as he navigates this heartbreaking journey.
If you know Finn, you know the world is a brighter place with him in it.
If you don’t, just know this:
He’s the kind of kid who, even when facing the unimaginable, still finds a way to make everyone laugh.
🦈💙 Join us. Buy a shirt. Share his story. Help us fill the world with Fins for Finn.
Because even when life gets heavy, Finn reminds us all to imagine the puppy sharks.
Donations can be made directly to: Venmo - @kirsten-maxwell-1
Kirsten
