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40 | CANYON CORRIDOR CONNECTION 2016
GCU run shows cancer fight
is community project
by Jeannette Cruz
It was a mass meeting of a community, one in which family, teachers,
friends and colleagues joined together in colorful T-shirts, tutus, buttons,
gold shoelaces and capes. One in which some smiled, some laughed and
others cried as they shared their stories. One that brought thousands of
hugs, high-fives and cheers to Grand Canyon University Saturday morning.
The GCU Foundation Run to Fight Children’s Cancer is one of the
University’s signature events. Each year since 2011, thousands of runners
have lined up at the starting line to raise awareness of childhood cancer,
the leading cause of death by disease among children 14 and younger, and
to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Network and Phoenix Children’s
Hospital.
This year’s race starter, Emma Kerr, a spirited, 11-year-old dancing queen,
got the festivities going with a big smile and a loud blow of the horn. It has
been nearly 16 months since Emma was diagnosed with leukemia and yet,
despite her battle against infections that have weakened her leg muscles
and confined her to a wheelchair, her mission to encourage others was
there for all to see.
“This is our first time here, and it is such an inspiration because Emma
is really determined and wants to get better and show everyone that she
wants to beat cancer just like others who are here,” said Emma’s mom, Ildi
Kerr. “We take our cues from her — she’s upbeat and it’s a good day for her,
so it’s a good day for everybody.”
What thrilled Emma most was that she and her dad, James, took part in
the race — a move he considered to be a side effect from the noise and
the crowd.
“It was a last-minute thought,” said James, who pushed Emma in her
wheelchair around the course. “We saw so many of our friends and decided
to catch up, but next thing we knew we were passing everybody.”
Emma and James boldly crossed the finished line together, wheelchair and
all. However, Emma didn’t finish the show there. Later, during the Cancer
Survivors Walk, she pulled herself up and pushed her own wheelchair
across the finish line right alongside the other radiant cancer warriors.
It was a morning full of closeness and hope.
Cindy Gutierrez and her family had a lot to say about cancer. One child
wore a shirt that read, “My cousin kicked cancer’s butt.”
Another: “Cancer tried to bully my sister, but it messed with the wrong
sister.”
And, her 7-year-old daughter, Victoria,
who is battling brain cancer, shined in
a sparkling T-shirt that read, “I’ve still
got a lot of fight left in me.”
“There were so many things that
we could write about childhood
cancer, but I just wanted to keep it
simple,” Gutierrez said. “This shows
that we are not in this alone. Cancer
changes your whole meaning of life
and changes your family. You see
these little kids, who while they love
anything and everything around them, they are also fighting to keep it.”
Kendall Baltazar had a team of 30 rooting behind her in their “Fight Like a
Girl” tees. The 11-year-old, whose lymph nodes and thyroid gland had to be
removed because of thyroid cancer, said it was surprising to see how many
people cared.
“I didn’t think that what I had was this bad,” Kendall said of the disease. “I
thought it was the type [of cancer] that is easy to get rid of, but I was still
scared. And it’s really nice to see all of the support here.”
For her dad, Paco Baltazar, the event meant tears.
“Cancer is still hard to talk about because she’s my little girl,” he said. “You
don’t want to see your little girl go through this.” But Baltazar wiped off the
tears as he jogged to the starting line hugging his family and friends
Rose Provincio donned her sneakers for her 5-year-old nephew Gabriel, a
liver cancer survivor. Gabriel was diagnosed with cancer when he was 1.
Although autism holds him back from speaking, it did not keep him from
spinning in circles and leading his aunt through the crowd. “He is happy,
healthy and normal, and that’s why we are here today,” Provincio said.
A simple gesture of a button turned into a beautiful moment for the GCU
Department of Communications and Public Affairs. Communications
Manager Janie Magruder recently was diagnosed with leukemia, and
colleagues and friends wore “JM” buttons in support of the redheaded
Communi t y Highl ights