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Family, friends of children with cancer bike for cure

PAT CROSSLEY/Sun-Gazette Simone Gehr, 9, gets ready to ride in the Great Cycle Challenge USA in honor of her Schick Elementary School classmate and friend, Callie Cavanaugh, who passed away earlier this year from cancer.

Although she passed away earlier this year after valiantly battling cancer, Callie Cavanaugh is still impacting and inspiring people. As the 2017 child ambassador of the Great Cycle Challenge USA, Callie helped the organization raise over $4 million last year for research into childhood cancers.

Callie’s Crew, as they are called, was the top fundraising team last year with 558 riders from across the country, who rode a combined 140,370 miles and raised $379,653.

This year 1,634 people have signed up to cycle as part of the crew and have committed to cycle 500,000 miles during June.

As of June 13, Callie’s Crew has ridden almost 112,000 miles and has raised over a half million dollars for children’s cancer research. The overall goal for the national organization for this year is 48,000 riders to raise $5.5 million.

“They’re from all around the world,” according to Callie’s mother, Michelle.

Stan Horwitz, of Philadelphia, has signed on as a member of Callie’s Crew, even though he did not know her personally.

“I am familiar with Callie’s story, but I don’t know her or her family at all,” he said.

In his second year of competing in the challenge, Horwitz has committed to riding 500 miles during this year’s monthlong challenge.

“Cancer is such a vicious disease. It pains my heart to see anyone at any age suffer from cancer, especially children,” he revealed as his reason for participating in the Challenge. “I look forward to a day when no one else has to battle cancer.”

Riders from the Willliamsport and Wellsboro areas also have responded to the fundraiser.

“People in this area are generous. Some were bikers and some started biking because of it,” Callie’s mom said.

Riders commit to ride a certain number of miles during the challenge and can complete their miles on a recumbent, stationary or tandem bicycles or on tricycles and unicycles.

Simone Gehr, 9, a classmate and friend of Callie’s, along with her family, is participating in the challenge for the second year.

According to her mother, Chawn, Simone met Callie in kindergarten at Loyalsock Township’s Schick Elementary and the two, along with five other little girls, formed the original crew. Another little girl was added in first grade.

“Callie’s Crew was just a really tight group of friends that tragically had to deal with one of their very close friends getting a terrible illness and dying,” Gehr said.

“Last year we were riding and raising money with the hope of research that would save Callie’s life. Tragically this year we’re riding in memory of Callie,” she added.

Another Williamsport family, whose lives have been touched by pediatric cancer, is the Bower family.

Joshua and Kristy Bower’s 5-year-old son, Declan, was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, according to his aunt, Samantha Bower.

They have formed Team Declan for the Great Cycle Challenge.

Bower, who has pledged to ride 100 miles during the month, said she wanted to participate to join her sister- and brother-in-law to support children’s cancer research.

“I think it’s very important because pediatric cancer gets very little money for research,” she said. She added she wanted to help raise awareness on that issue.

Declan, who goes for treatment at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, is doing very well, according to his aunt.

The challenge is one of the fundraisers for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund and the money raised goes to the organization.

Last year Callie agreed to be the child ambassador for the challenge, even though she was quite ill at the time. According to her mother, she wanted to do it if it meant better treatments for kids like her in the future.

“We were honored we were able to help,” Cavanaugh said. She said she feels in this way something good came out of Callie’s battle with cancer.

In 2015, just after she had turned 7, Callie was diagnosed with pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma. For over two years, Callie went through chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. This year, in April, Callie’s battle ended.

“We miss her a lot,” her mother said.

Even in the midst of her struggle, Callie helped others her mom said.

“We know where it’s needed most because it was where we needed it,” she said.

When she was alive, Callie delivered thousands of dollars in toys to cancer patients, Cavanaugh said. Now her family gives gas and grocery cards to families who are going through what they went through.

“We’re helping families any way we can,” she said.

One thing they are committed to is providing iPads for children going through chemotherapy, because it helps them pass the time while dealing with the treatment.

“Even though her fight is over, we want to stay involved,” she said.

Anyone interested in being a part of Callie’s Crew or Team Declan for the Great Cycle Challenge USA. or biking in honor of another child, still can sign up at greatcyclechallenge.com.

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