LAKE MAHOPAC- Scores of participants raised money and awareness in support of childhood cancer research Saturday, and at 7:30 a.m. entered Lake Mahopac for a quarter-mile swim followed by a 10.5- mile bike race and a 5K run around the picturesque lake.
The event honored Ty Louis Campbell of Pawling, a 5-year-old who died after a two year long courageous battle with cancer.
Campbell was diagnosed with a malignant tumor at the base of his skull. He spent more than 200 nights in hospitals, endured eleven rounds of chemotherapy and 44 days of painful radiation, and died on Oct. 17, 2012.
His dad, Louis, expressed immense pride: “It’s wonderful seeing so many local people here with my family remembering our little fighter. Ty touched so many lives.”
Louis Campbell added: “While we will always remember Ty and the lives he touched during his short life, our goal is for the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation to raise money for pediatric cancer research in order to save children from this horrific illness that remains as the number one cause of death in children with one person out of 330 being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20.”
In the U.S., 47 children are diagnosed each day with seven youngsters losing the battle daily.
Organizers said the event raised more than $50,000 to support the Ty Louis Campbell Young Investigator Fund at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.
“Through this investment, our foundation pays the salary of an experienced doctor/researcher who is dedicated to collecting genetic bio-information on all types of pediatric brain tumor samples in order to provide individual treatment protocols with precision medicine to children battling cancer,” said a foundation spokesperson.
Previous events that raised money for the foundation included a countywide motorcycle run and the Muddy Puddles Project last month at Camp Kiwi.
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