‘Run for Survivorship' aids cancer programs

Christian McEvoy is running from California to Rhode Island to raise money and awareness for cancer survivorship programs.

McEvoy started his 3,500 mile coast-to-coast run from San Francisco, Calif., to Narragansett, R.I., on July 1.

As a part of his trek, McEvoy ran through Beatrice on Thursday afternoon and other parts of Gage County this week on his route along U.S. Highway 77.

McEvoy is a 2004 graduate of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., and taught English at Fairfield Preparatory School in Fairfield, Conn.

In May 2005, McEvoy said a friend's mother was diagnosed with cancer and so he got involved in bike rides to help raise money for cancer research.

During those bike rides, McEvoy said he met Jeff Keith who had run coast to coast in 1984 to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and was inspired by his story to do the same.

“I heard his story and got interested,” McEvoy said during his stop in Beatrice on Thursday afternoon.

The Coast to Coast: A Run for Survivorship is designed to raise funds for cancer survivorship programs, McEvoy said.

The beneficiaries of McEvoy's run are the Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Conn., Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults National College Scholarship Program in Columbia, Md., the University of California, San Francisco, Cancer Resource Center, and the Children's Hospital Helping Oncology Patients Excel Clinic in Denver, Colo.

The Yale Cancer Center provides care and consultation to people who have been diagnosed and treated for cancer and focuses on the long-term effects of cancer, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

The Ulman Cancer Fund supports the financial needs of young adults who have been impacted by cancer and are seeking higher education or professional school training.

The University of California, San Francisco Cancer Resource Center supports wellness and the healing process by providing survivors and their loved ones with information, emotional support and community resources.

The HOPE Clinic was created to provide support and education to childhood cancer survivors of all ages.

At this point, $150,000 has been raised.

Along with raising money, McEvoy has issued a challenge to high school students across the country to join the run as McEvoy and his team approaches their communities and to help with the fundraising.

McEvoy said there have been a number of students take part in his challenge. Sometimes there will be one running alongside him and other days there will be a group of more than 30.

“The interesting part is working with kids to see what interests them and inspires them,” McEvoy said.

A documentary film crew accompanying McEvoy on his journey has been working on a special film, “Gone Running,” featuring cancer survivors they have met along their trip.

They are interviewing individuals about survivorship and by the end of McEvoy's run they will have more than a hundred hours of footage, Leslie Estelle, project “Gone Running” coordinator, said.

Estelle said researchers should be able to use the footage to develop and implement survivorship programs.

McEvoy is scheduled to finish his run on Dec. 14 in Narragansett, R.I.

“It's more than just a run,” McEvoy said. “It's getting (people) excited about raising awareness.”

For more information on how to donate or purchase a mile on the coast-to-coast run, visit www.coasttocoastrun.org or send checks payable to CAF/Coast to Coast Run to Coast to Coast: A Run for Survivorship, P.O. Box 771, Southport, CT 06890. All donations are tax deductible.