Hi! I’m Katie, and I’m honored to be running the Buddy Run this year in support of children battling cancer and undergoing treatment. Last year, I ran the Sam Day 37-Mile Run with my run club, and the experience moved me and inspired me to step up and do even more. I believe deeply in the power of community. When we come together to support, give, and take action, we remind families facing childhood cancer that they are not alone. If you feel called to join me—whether by donating, sharing, or cheering from the sidelines—your support truly makes a difference.
I'm running for Hammy and Greyson.
Hammy is two, and perhaps unsurprisingly, he is quite the ham. He’s been known to chase his family members with a roaring T-Rex. He also loves tickles and cuddles, and playing with cars and building blocks.
Hammy was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney shortly after learning to walk. The cancer took away his newfound mobility, until he had surgery to remove one baseball-sized kidney. Surgery helped, and Hammy was insistent on getting on his two feet again just a couple of days after his surgery. Hammy completed his chemotherapy, but continues to need special attention due to health issues related to his treatment. Hammy’s family asks that if you meet a child with cancer, please give them a smile.
Greyson, who is four, loves to sing and dance. He’s talkative and energetic, and loves to play outside, especially with his water table. Greyson is in Pre-Kindergarten and he loves his friends there.
In December 2023, Greyson was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a low-grade glioma. Because the Knight Cancer Institute identified a target and a brand new immunotherapy treatment to match it, Greyson is able to take medication every day at home. If Greyson had been diagnosed just a few short months earlier, he would have had to endure chemotherapy and radiation–and all the damaging side effects. Instead, researchers developed this immunotherapy drug, still in a clinical trial phase, and he’s doing amazing on it. Greyson’s family shares that the drug has been a miracle. “There is hope and sometimes there are new treatments available! . . . The more funding for research, the better.”
Your support shows Hammy, Greyson and both of their families that we can make better treatments possible for all kids with cancer.
