Drake Hegy, the four-year-old son of Josh Hegy, Head Greens Superintendent at The Pines Country Club in Valley, Neb., has been bolstered in his fight with leukemia by an outpouring that’s included support from club members.
From a fire truck ride after a hospital stay to donations of T-shirt sales from an Olympic athlete, Drake Hegy has known the support of his community, reports the Kearney (Neb.) Hub. And now the family of the 4-year-old boy who’s been battling leukemia—and whose father, Josh Hegy, is Head Greens Superintendent at The Pines Country Club in Valley, Neb.—is looking for ways to literally pick up the pace against the disease that Drake and others are fighting.
This April, Drake’s mom, Amanda, plans to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in Washington, D.C. in honor of her child and others like him, reports the Hub. Funds raised through the event will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Amanda Hegy has set a personal goal of raising $4,000 through the 13.1-mile event.
“If our fundraising is successful and I can double our goal, I will commit to doing another half-marathon in the fall to equal Drake’s marathon of beating cancer,” Amanda Hegy added.
Drake’s marathon began in July 2011, when he began having high fevers, the Hub reports. After antibiotics failed to work, Drake’s parents took him to an emergency room in Fremont, Neb., where the family lives. He was then flown by medical helicopter to Omaha, where—at age 2—he was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoblastic leukemia after a bone marrow biopsy.
Doctors put together a protocol that included chemotherapy, spinal taps, steroids, clinic visits and hospital stays, the Hub reports, and Drake has since spent a total of 74 days in the hospital and had approximately 30 spinal taps. The final leg of his personal race—his last chemotherapy treatment—is scheduled for November.
In the midst of all of his treatments, Drake still managed to play T-ball, take swimming lessons and start preschool in the past year, the Hub reports, as well as continue to develop his interest in all things related to firefighting.
For his birthday in May, Drake got a tour of Fremont’s Fire Department station (where he says he plans to work someday). He also visited the station during its open house in October.
A family friend, Omaha firefighter Ben Heller, collaborated with other firemen to provide a special ride for Drake. The Waterloo, Neb Volunteer Fire Department brought a fire truck to Children’s Hospital in Omaha and gave him a ride home to Fremont.
Other support has come from former University of Nebraska-Lincoln volleyball standout Jordan Larson, who was part of the U.S. silver medal-winning team in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the Hub reported.
When the Hegys were at an event at Methodist Hospital in Omaha where Larson was signing autographs, the Hub reported, Amanda introduced herself and Drake to Larson, unaware that the athlete had been searching for a family battling cancer to whom she could donate a portion of proceeds from her T-shirts, to honor her mother, Kae, who was 51 when she lost her battle with cancer in 2009.
During the autograph session, Larson asked for the Hegys’ contact information and later followed through to set up donations to Drake’s cause..
Members and staff at The Pines CC have also provided support for Drake and his family, the Hub reported.
More information about Drake’s story and how to contribute to his cause can be found at www.caringbridge.org/visit/drakehegy
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