Patricia started her new year with big goals and a big heart.
The Austin, Texas, native has always enjoyed running. She ran cross country in high school and often runs with her father. But in 2023, she plans on stretching her runs even further. She signed up for the Steamboat Marathon in June and is starting the training that will get her to the finish line.
“Running is my happy space,” Patricia said. “I like the mental aspect of it and have always wanted to do a marathon.”
While she is in great shape already, she’s not running just for herself. She’s also running for a little girl named Claire and other children with cancer. Patricia earned a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Special Education. During her first year of teaching, three-year-old Claire was one of her students. They immediately became close, so Claire’s diagnosis was devastating to her.
“Claire was diagnosed with DIPG, which is a brain tumor with a very poor prognosis,” Patricia explained. “She came to school as often as she could. But after four months, she wasn’t able to. So for the next four months, I would go to her home to spend time with her. We didn’t really have a teacher/student relationship. They welcomed me into their family.”
Sadly, Claire passed away after an eight-month fight. But she left an indelible mark on Patricia’s life. In fact, Patricia quit teaching and went back to school to become a play therapist. Play therapists help children to make sense of difficult life experiences or complex psychological issues through play.
“I had to come to school and explain Claire’s sickness to other students, and then I had to share when she died,” Patricia said. “I wasn’t equipped for that role, but helping children is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Claire’s fingerprints are also all over Patricia’s marathon. An important part of her effort is raising money to fund research through CURE. She uses the hashtag #Morethan4forClaire
“When I learned that less than 4% of the federal cancer research budget goes to solving childhood cancers, I had to do something to help,” Patricia said. “It is incredibly difficult to see a child you love go through treatment. The least I can do is run a marathon to raise money.”
“Claire was lucky because we caught it very early,” shared Kathleen. “After testing on the lymph nodes, it showed her cancer to be lymphoma and not leukemia. But because it is very rare for a four-year-old child to get lymphoma and her disease is presenting like leukemia, we are doing the standard treatment for leukemia.”
Thanks to the overwhelming support of her Effingham community, the first Catie’s Gathering has grown into events in five cities across south Georgia and has raised more than $2.8 million. The event helps fund patient and family programs as well as CURE’s Precision Medicine Program, which focuses on individualized treatments based on each child’s genetic makeup.
Additionally, events that usually bring the childhood cancer community together have been canceled or held virtually. The Thomas family participated in 2021’s virtual Lauren’s Run and had a great time walking a 2k on the Silver Comet Trail (even after Zoe fell asleep.) This year, they are very much looking forward to the in-person Lauren’s Run & Picnic.
Natalie had been a very healthy child until she began losing weight and sleeping more often at the age of thirteen. Her pediatrician drew blood and confirmed that her labs looked normal for her age. But her weight loss continued, and she began getting stomachaches. When she noticed bruising on her body, her doctor sent her to the emergency room for more testing. It was there that Natalie was diagnosed with leukemia – just one day before her fourteenth birthday.
Natalie continued treatment as lockdowns and quarantines ended, and when the time came for her next birthday, she was able to celebrate with a wonderful Sweet 16 party! Her family pulled out all the stops and made it a beautiful day for her. An even greater celebration happened a few months later as Natalie walked out of the hospital cancer-free.
Edward was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer in which malignant cells form from immature nerve tissue. Following the standard treatment protocol, Edward began countless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, endured nine surgeries, battled through two bone marrow transplants, and entered clinical trials. Sadly, even with those extensive treatments and their awful side effects, residual cancer remained.
