Cancer run’s starters
show resilience at an early age
– by Michael Ferraresi
THE
to
GOON
he roughest treatment is over.
Grace Kostyk
needs
a spinal tap every four months now. She takes her
daily chemotherapy pills with applesauce.
Things are a little easier than a year ago. Doctors removed
the portable catheter surgically inserted into her chest.
Not as if the needles ever stopped Grace from smiling or
laughing, though. She recently went from a spinal tap to
a swim class because she felt her teammates needed her.
Intravenous chemo drips and steroid side effects
are now less of a burden than the painful first year of
aggressive treatment to prevent the acute lymphoblastic
leukemia from spreading.
Grace, now 7, served as honorary race starter at last
year’s Grand Canyon University Run to Fight Children’s
Cancer, the fast-growing annual event with 10K/5K races
and a cancer survivors’ walk at the west Phoenix campus.
This year, her family’s Amazing Grace team is one of
dozens of fundraising groups among thousands of
runners, walkers, and other supporters fighting against
childhood cancer.
Proceeds from the March 9 race, which organizers hope
will near $100,000 this year, benefit the non-profit
Children’s Cancer Network and Phoenix Children’s
Hospital. The money helps families to offset heavy health
care costs and stress from a cancer diagnosis.
Grace Kostyk (right top) and Olivia Baumgardner (right
bottom) are still fighting leukemia, though their health
has improved since serving as race starters for GCU’s
Run to Fight Children’s Cancer. Photo by Darryl Webb
Gretchen Baumgardner said Olivia (above),
now 5, has a “a no more cancer party” coming
up as a milestone in her treatments.
Children’s Cancer Network organizes gift bags for
new patients at the hospital, links families to practical
resources and provides programs to build a sick
child’s self-esteem.
In the year since Grace started the 2012 race, she
progressed to a point where she can play her favorite
sports and get back on track with her schooling. But
even though there are no more frightening hospital
stays, doctors cautioned her family to maintain regular
checkups until she is 11, nearly five years fromdiagnosis.
“I just feel like I’m determined to do everything,” Grace
said in themidst of abusy afternoon inher north Phoenix
neighborhood, shuffling from a baton-twirling class to a
quick snack prior to meeting her academic tutor.
Olivia Baumgardner
, the inaugural race starter
from the fall of 2011, was 4 years old when she was
diagnosed with the same form of leukemia as Grace
and this year’s race starter,
Cooper Gokee
.
2013 race starter
Cooper Gokee
The bruising seemed odd.
Cooper Gokee’s
parents figured he had just landed wrong. The boy
never complained about pain.
Doctors discovered acute lymphoblastic leukemia
after
Jeff and Patti Gokee
took their son in
for a checkup. They were stunned. Their lives
immediately changed. And at the time, they didn’t
know it – but their son was about to become a
spokesman for a cause.
This year, organizers of GCU’s Run to Fight
Children’s Cancer named 9-year-old Cooper as
the honorary race starter. The Maricopa third-
grader was diagnosed less than one year ago
with ALL, the most common form of childhood
leukemia. Like the two girls who served as race
ambassadors in the first two events, Cooper will
squeeze the air horn to turn hundreds of runners
loose on the fight against cancer.
Cooper’s cancer journey is just beginning. He
still receives deep-tissue shots in his legs and is
sometimes restricted from playing physically with
his brother
Ben
, 12, because of injury concerns.
Jeff Gokee said the experience is still so new that
his family adjusts week to week. The Gokees have
found joy to be a powerful thing, and they take as
much of it as they can.
Photo by Darryl Webb
