I grew up learning about multiple close relatives and their journey from cancer diagnosis, to treatment, to the wide variation in outcomes that resulted. The desire to support cancer research in my own small way is something that became very real when I found out that my son's best friend was diagnosed with bone sarcoma. I saw the impact it had on my son's friend and on my son and I still remember my son's reaction to the news that his friend had cancer. In some ways, innocence was lost in the process. Learning through this experience we've realized that more must be done to further our understanding of how cancer develops and further fundamental research developing targeted therapies that have a positive impact on cancer patients. I am very honored to be a part of this event and am hoping that such events bring more attention to the broader community to come together and move the needle on helping bolster cancer research in the future!
I am running in honor of Benjamin.
A note from Benjamin's parents:
Benjamin is our full-of-life 9-year-old kid who is both competitive and serious, but also goofy and fun-loving. He loves all things baseball and is a die-hard Dodgers fan. He hates to lose more than he loves to win and will challenge you to a video game duel on the Nintendo Switch given the opportunity. Benjamin’s competitiveness, while being a challenge during family game night, is something that we have loved and appreciated throughout this cancer journey.
In June 2023 a little league baseball injury left Benjamin with pain in his left leg. After many visits to doctors, X-rays, an MRI, and finally a biopsy, Benjamin was diagnosed with B-COR sarcoma in July 2023. He had 6 chemo treatments alternating between 2-day and 5-day hospital stays during the first 12 weeks. During this time he was not allowed to put weight on his left leg because of the tumor’s location and doctors being worried about a possible fracture. Benjamin went from being an active kid running around and playing, to a kid who now was forced to move around on crutches and a wheelchair. In November 2023 Benjamin had surgery to remove the tumor, which left him with an endoprosthesis that goes from his femoral head to the middle of his thigh. He then had 8 additional chemo treatments post-surgery, while at the same time learning how to walk and move on his new leg. Benjamin finished his chemo treatments at the end of February 2024 and is slowly returning to his activities and getting stronger each day. He will continue to have x-rays on his left leg and CT chest scans every 3 months in hopes that no cancer returns. During this process, Benjamin has had to grow up much faster than we had hoped. We have grieved the loss of innocence and a carefree childhood that cancer that has been robbed from him…and his sister. But we are in awe of the strength and bravery he has shown throughout this time.
This is what Benjamin's family would like you to know about childhood cancer: "There isn’t anything in life that childhood cancer doesn’t touch - it truly changes everything."
