By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
It seems there is a colored ribbon to show support for every cause imaginable. One of the oldest known references of ribbons used to symbolize a cause was mentioned in a marching song, “Round her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon.” It has been used to represent a loved one waiting for a military service member to return home.
Because chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, there are many colored ribbons used to raise awareness for illnesses and diseases. This weekend, three different fundraisers — symbolized by three different colors — will help raise money for families in Plant City.
The Yellow Ribbon: Childhood Cancer
When 5-year-old Morgan Pierce complained of hip pain four years ago, her doctor thought she just had a jarred hip joint. But a bone scan revealed every mother’s worst nightmare — an unknown mass in her abdomen.
“It was devastating,” mother Emily Pierce said. “This was my baby. I had so many questions. … You can’t even explain it.”
Morgan was diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that affects the sympathetic nervous system and is found mainly in children under 10 years old. Sympathetic nervous system tumors account for 7.8% of all cancers among children younger than 15 years.
Since her diagnosis, Morgan has undergone surgery to remove the tumor, five rounds of chemotherapy, which has caused her to lose her hair and scans every three months.
She has relapsed twice.
In addition to financial strains and constant traveling to doctors offices and hospitals, Pierce said the battle also has affected Morgan’s older sister, Ally.
“Emotionally it was difficult on her sister,” Pierce said. “She lost her playmate, because a lot of times, Morgan is too tired to play.”
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and Pierce doesn’t want that to be forgotten. She is hosting the second Play for a Cure on Sept. 22, Dolphin Field at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex.
“There are several kids in Plant City who have cancer and they don’t get coverage,” Pierce said. “I just want people to know about our kids. They are battling cancer while trying to go to school and while they’re parents are working.”
The free event will have a bounce house and slide, colored hair spray booth, cookie decorating station and face painting.
“We’re going to play for a cure,” Pierce said. “Kids are supposed to play, not be getting treatments.”
Emily also will be hosting a 5K run and 1-mile walk Sept. 29 in downtown Plant City. A bake sale will be going on at the same time, benefitting Cookies for Kids Cancer. The race starts at 7:30 a.m.
Play for a Cure
WHEN: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 22
WHERE: Dolphin Field at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, 2602 E. Cherry St.
CAUSE: Pediatric cancer
The Purple Ribbon: Chiari Malformation
Plant City resident Serenity Harper is lucky to be alive. She survived two brain surgeries. The second one almost killed her.
Harper has Chiari Malformation, a neurological disorder in which the brain descends out of the skull and puts pressure on the spine. Chiari has more than 100 symptoms that range from extreme dizziness to neck pain and can end in immobility. Brain surgery is done to relieve the symptoms, but it fails 20% of the time.
“I had every complication imaginable,” Harper said about her brain surgery. “I would like to say years later the surgeries helped, but they didn’t.”
To make matters worse, on one of her recovery days in an Orlando hospital ICU, her teenage daughter, Gabrielle, was diagnosed with Chiari too.
“It was the worst day of my life,” Harper said.
Harper has problems others in their 30s shouldn’t have. She has to think about how to swallow her food. She has to worry about walking down the hall without her knees buckling. She has to fight all-over pain.
Despite her troubles, Harper works full-time as a human resource manager and uses walks and taking care of her children to deal with her disease. Even more amazing, she is put together the 2011 Conquer Chiari Walk Across America event in Tampa and currently is organizing the 2012 Conquer Chiari Walk Across America event in Tampa on Sept. 22., along with friend and fellow Chiari carrier, Vonda Maxwell.
“We’re just trying to bring as much awareness to Chiari as we can,” Harper said.
Harper knows of eight people in the Plant City area with Chiari. Few federal funds have been directed towards research for Chiari, because only about 300,000 people have it in the U.S. But Harper thinks it is under-diagnosed.
“They always push it as something that it so rare,” Harper said. “But the numbers are growing, as technology gets better and is able to recognize it.”
All the Conquer Chiari Walks happen on the same day at the same time. Last year, the event raised a collective $405,000 for research. This year the goal is to raise $450,000.
“It’s a really neat experience,” Harper said. “We’re excited about it.”
Conquer Chiari Walk Across America 2012
WHEN: Sept. 22. Registration begins at 9 a.m.; walk begins at 10:30 a.m..
WHERE: Al Lopez Park, 4810 N. Himes Ave., Tampa
DONATION: Minimum donation of $25
CAUSE: Chiari malformation
The Green Ribbon: Kidney Disease
Prepare to stomp through 500 pounds of blueberries after racing 2.9 miles through and around 18 obstacles including hay bales, tires and wood ladders. Keel and Curley Winery is hosting a mud run Sept. 22, to benefit Evan Ranieri and Darby Hastings, who both have a type of kidney disease.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our community, and we want to give back,” Clay Keel, the marketing and special events director at the winery, said.
In a lot of ways, Hastings is just a regular teenage girl. The 16-year-old is a junior at Durant High School and is involved in the FFA chapter.
“For the most part, you can look at her and she doesn’t look sick,” her mother, Gloria Hastings, said.
But since Hastings was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in June 2011, she has been on a cocktail of medications.
FSGS is a rare disease that attacks the kidney’s filtering system, causing serious scarring.
Eventually, Hastings will have to have a liver transplant once her body becomes immune to the medicine.
So far, the family has raised $5,000 for the future.
The Hastings will have a chance to meet another Plant City family facing a similar situation at the Mud Run.
Melissa Ranieri’s 18-month-old son, Evan, has hypoplasia. His kidneys are under-developed and are too small for his body.
Ranieri found out Evan had the condition during her pregnancy. Doctors did not know if the baby would survive or what kind of quality of life he would have if he survived. After Evan was born, he endured three surgeries for a dialysis catheter.
Although he didn’t need dialysis, the family is still dealing with effects of the disease. Evan has a feeding tube and takes nine medications daily.
Evan will need a kidney transplant once his body outgrows his kidney. They expect this to be sometime next year.
“He will get a second chance at life, but the transplant isn’t a cure,” Ranieri said. “This is a forever thing.”
Blueberry Stomp Mud Run
WHEN: Sept. 22. First heat begins at 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: Keel and Curley Winery, 5210 W. Thonotosassa Road
CAUSE: Evan Ranieri and Darby Hastings, who have focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease