KC man highlights cancer foundation with costume in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KMIZ) -

It doesn't take long to find reflections of New York, Paris and Egypt along the Las Vegas Strip. But below the soaring monuments, a man in a cow costume and red Chiefs shirt roams the streets.

"I did it snowblowing, and so I was like 'Why not? We're a cow town,'" Manuel Palacio, the man in the cow suit, said.

Palacio purchased the inflatable cow suit in 2018. News outlets pictured him in the suit in 2022 helping clear snowy sidewalks. Palacio said he started taking the suit out to events, including the 2023 Super Bowl parade.

The shirt he's wearing on Friday sports the name "Moo-homes" on the back with the number 33. While the number doesn't match his human counterpart in Patrick Mahomes's number 15, Palacio said the 33 carries a personal meaning. Manuel's son, Dominic, wore the number 33 playing basketball. Dominic passed away in 2011 to osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. He was 15.

Manuel Palacio and his family started the "I Am Dom" foundation to help families in the Kansas City area struggling with a childhood cancer.

"It assists families with children that have cancer with their financial burden," Palacio said. "We assist with the house payment, car payment, lights, gas, anything like that. That way, they can worry about their child instead of them bills for that month."

Palacio encouraged families dealing with cancer to reach out for help when needed.

"Don't be ashamed or shy to ask for assistance, and...go Chiefs!"