When the Peck family joined the Cheval Athletic Club, their daughter Callie was 2.
They took an immediate interest in the community’s Cheval Cares 5K event to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
It wasn’t just a good cause. It was personal.
(Photos courtesy of Vividivity)
“When we joined there a few years back, (Callie) was bald. It was no surprise to anybody that she had cancer,” recalled Callie’s mother, Amber Peck.
Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Callie had to endure frequent trips to hospitals, spinal taps and surgeries. For lengthy periods, she endured chemotherapy treatments daily.
Just a toddler, she received treatment for more than two years. And despite the challenges, the Pecks consider themselves fortunate.
“We were actually very lucky in the fact that the cure rate for her type of leukemia was greater than 90 percent,” Peck explained. “Seeing the other children in the hospital, their diagnoses were a lot more devastating. We had everything quickly put in perspective for us. All of a sudden, we felt fortunate.”
Callie is now well past her treatments. Her chemotherapy ended last April, and she now just has monthly blood tests to check for recurrences or side effects. But her family is still active in the community’s 5K event. The Fourth Annual Cheval Cares 5K will be on Sept. 26 at 8 a.m., at the Cheval Athletic Club, 4142 Cheval Blvd., in Lutz.
Callie, now 6, will be part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony to begin the race, while her brothers, Gavin and Cole, and her parents, Amber and Scott, participate in the 5K.
Lindsay Whitney helped create the 5K and used to work at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The Cheval resident still serves as event director for the event, which raised around $25,000 last year. Her time at the foundation put her in close touch with families going through the emotional challenges of childhood cancer.
“It’s been a big passion of mine, knowing the families that have been affected and being part of their lives,” Whitney said. “I’ve been on many hospital visits and funerals, but also end-of-chemotherapy parties, graduation parties and birthday parties.”
She hopes the money raised for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation’s research will lead to more of the happier occasions. The foundation focuses on research, fast-tracking treatments and launching clinical trials in the hopes of developing effective options quickly.
Speeding up the process of finding effective treatments helps with more than just the obvious health concerns. Families dealing with childhood cancer face other stresses and challenges the public might not consider, Whitney said.
So much time is spent on appointments and treatments that parents sometimes have to quit their jobs to manage care properly. That adds financial and emotional strain to an already difficult process.
The race itself has a cap of 450 runners due to the logistics of having the event at Cheval.
So, they’ve come up with some new ways to raise money. On Sept. 23, an Italian buffet dinner will be served at the Cheval Golf and Country Club, 4312 Cheval Blvd., from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. The cost is $16.99 for adults, with $5 of that amount going to Cheval Cares.
The event has set a goal of nearly $30,000 for this year, Whitney said. And, she hopes they’ll reach both their runner cap and fundraising goal, because childhood cancer is something that thousands of families face each year.
According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, nearly 16,000 people between the ages of birth and 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year. One in every 285 people will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20.
And cancer isn’t picky about who it attacks, Whitney said.
“That’s the thing that we always say: Cancer knows no bounds in terms of money, ethnicity, race, gender, whatever it is. It doesn’t seem to matter,” she said.
The annual 5K race matters to many people in Cheval and in the surrounding areas, including the Pecks. While Callie participates every year, Amber would love to see her join the rest of the family and actually take part in the 5K at a future event.
“The day that she’s actually running will be very meaningful for us,” she said.
The cost for the race is $30 for adults, and $20 for children 12 and younger. Each participant receives a T-shirt and goodie bag.
Registration for the race is available on the website through Sept. 24. After that, those not living in Cheval can register in person at the Cheval Athletic Club on Sept. 25 from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. On the day of the race, registration is only open to Cheval residents, but donations can still be made on the website.
The 5K event also will include an activity area for children, with a bounce house, face painting and balloon animals.
For more information, visit ChevalCares5K.com, or email .
Published September 23, 2015