Thirty-five children woke up Sunday at Lurie Children’s Hospital hoping to beat cancer. On the streets below, 22 bikers prepared for a 5-day, 100-mile ride through Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin to fund pediatric cancer research.
Shawn Horton, of Hugo, Minnesota, began training for the event in May, shortly after his 7-year-old son Felix completed his final round of chemotherapy. Felix thinks his father is “crazy” for biking so far, but the 38-year-old views the bike ride as an homage to his son’s battle.
“I’ve never ridden this many miles all at once, but putting myself through a hard time — it’s nowhere near as hard as cancer — is a way to struggle, to pay respects to those kids,” Horton said.
Every day this year, approximately 46 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer, yet less than 10% of the federal cancer research budget is specifically allocated to pediatric cancer, according to The Children’s Cancer Foundation.
“We’re funding pediatric cancer research through 5Ks, bike rides and lemonade stands. We need more support,” said EJ Klage of North Aurora, who woke up early Sunday to cheer on the bikers. She got involved with bike ride organizer Cal’s Angels after her daughter Megan Klage Sporny was diagnosed with glioma, an aggressive brain and spinal cord cancer, in 2018.
This week’s CUREage Ride on the shores of Lake Michigan has raised over $200,000 of its $250,000 goal to fund pediatric cancer research. Unlike adult cancers which are often attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors, the causes of the vast majority of pediatric cancers are largely unknown and treatment options are limited.
“For the type of cancer our daughter had, there was one option of treatment, and when it didn’t work, there was nothing else,” Klage said.
There are several dozen FDA-approved drugs to treat lung cancer and breast cancer in adults. By comparison, only four drugs are FDA-approved to treat glioma, which Klage Sporny battled for four and a half years before her death in June 2023 at 19 years old.
A year before she died, the once promising distance runner participated in a portion of the multi-day charity bike ride with a handcycle. During the ride, she met Kevin McDowell, a silver medalist in the Tokyo Olympics and pediatric cancer survivor.
When the Geneva native was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at 18 in 2011, he was well-positioned to win the Junior World Triathlon Championship. Cal’s Angels provided him and his family with support, even gifting him an iPad that he called a “lifeline” during long days confined to bed during chemo treatments.
Through this bike ride and his athletic career, McDowell aspires to show children that they can rebound from a cancer diagnosis.
“I want to show these kids who are now battling, this is a tough time but you can overcome this and get back your life again. You can be better from this,” McDowell said.
Shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, the cancer survivor pedaled north along Lake Michigan alongside 21 parents, siblings and allies of pediatric cancer survivors and victims. They will end their journey in St. Charles Thursday.
