In 2013, Joey was diagnosed with translocation renal cell carcinoma at UF Health Shands Children's Hospital. As it is a rare subtype of kidney cancer, it took the team a month of hard work to find out exactly what type of cancer it was. Joey was treated for 20 months at the Pediatric Oncology at Shands Children's Hospital. On October 14th, Joey started an immunotherapy in Cincinnati Children's Hospital. His tumors in his neck shrank significantly after the second injection. Scans showed all other tumors in his abdomen, chest, and pelvis were stable. However, his tiny body was too exhausted to fight. On November 24, 2014, Joey slipped into a coma and was sent back to Shands Children's Hospital by medical flight. Joey passed away two days later.
Joey's Wings was founded to promote support, advocacy, and education for parents and fund research into kidney cancers that afflict children and young adults. 2,000 origami cranes was displayed at Shands Children's Hospital to honor 2,000 children who pass away from cancer every year in this country. Joey's Wings funded a three-year massage therapy program for the parents at the infusion room on the oncology floor while their children are getting chemotherapy at the Shands. Joey's Wings recently donated 100 gas cards and food cards to pediatric cancer families at Shands.
As many pediatric cancer families in Florida travel to Shands for treatment, there is a significant need of gas cards and food cards for these families. All proceeds of 2022 Joey's Wings 5k will go to purchasing gas and food cards for pediatric cancer families treated at Shands Children's Hospital.
Let's run to honor, to support and to inspire.
7:30 AM Onsite registration and Packet Pickup
8:30 AM 5K/Walk begins
8:40 AM 1 mile Kids Obstacle Run
10 AM Awards
If you google the "Charles R. Perry Construction Institute", it will lead you directly to the course and parking.
We have an improved obstacle course for 2022! Competitive and fun! Hay bales, tires, parachute, hurdles, agility ladder, hula hoops, jumping sacks...Each obstacle course represents the obstacle that children with cancer have to overcome during treatment: chemo, radiation, pills, testing... our improved kids obstacle challenge this year is fun and competitive! Children of any age are welcomed to participate! Our volunteers will also watch and help along the way.
There are three age groups, 6 – 11, 12 – 18, and 19+, each category placing top 3 males and females. Results will not be published immediately after the run. But we will have an awards ceremony for the top 3 finishers in each age group at 10am. If you want to know your time, please look at the clock before you cross the finish line. We will do our best to have the results published online as soon as possible.
Want to get more involved and help fundraise for Joey's Wings? Create a team, recruit runners to sign up for your team and ask friends, family, and businesses for donations! There will be two awards for fundraising teams: one for the team with the most runners and one for the team that raises the most money. Click the team tab (on the left) to get started!
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
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