Community runs for local boy
By Kevin Sjoberg and Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writers
PRESQUE ISLE — The director of the Ready, Set, Let’s Go! Youth Triathlon, Jonathan Kelley, was finalizing the list of participants for the annual race when he came across an unexpected e-mail about a former racer.
Staff Photos/Kevin Sjoberg
RUNNERS take off from the start line for Zach’s Run, which was held Sept. 8 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Gentile Hall. One hundred and fifty community members registered for the event, a fundraiser for Caribou 10-year-old Zachary Gagnon, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
TEN-YEAR-OLD Zachary Gagnon of Caribou, shown with Jonathan Kelley, spoke to participants prior to Zach’s Run, held Sept. 8 at the UMPI’s Gentile Hall.
The correspondence, sent in mid-August, was from Peggy Gagnon of Caribou who stated that her 10-year-old son, Zachary, was not going to be able to return to compete this year as he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a children’s bone and soft tissue cancer.
Kelley, who lost his father to cancer nine years ago, quickly came to the realization that he needed to do something. He logged into his Facebook account, posted a request to get the community to rally around the Gagnons and then watched it take off.
We (he and Bobbie Jo Caron of TAMC) created an event called ‘Zach’s Run’ and at first sent it out to 50 people,” Kelley said. “It wasn’t long before 1,300 had been invited.”
Kelley planned a 5K run/walk, which would piggyback the youth triathlon, with all proceeds to benefit the Gagnons. Also, the message “We Support #63” (Zach’s bib number in 2012) was added to the youth triathlon T-shirts, which were sported by the 110 athletes and 85 volunteers taking part in that event.
When 4 p.m. arrived on Sept. 8, registration for Zach’s Run got under way and Kelley was, in his words, “blown away” by the community response.
“I kept seeing people come through the doors. The lobby at Gentile Hall filled up and spilled into the gymnasium,” Kelley said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Neither could the Gagnons, who tend to be pretty private people. As a social worker for 14 years, Peggy works hard to provide for her family and, because of her profession, is more accustomed to providing support than receiving it. Though she was ecstatic about the effort Kelley was putting into the race for Zach, she had to take a step back and take a deep breath.
“I’m not accustomed to getting help from anyone like that, so I was quite shocked,” she said. “It’s amazing to me that [Kelley] would take it upon himself to arrange this for Zachary — and he’s never met Zach before. I was very moved by that, and it helped me to realize that there are still good people out there.”
Heading to the university for the run, after not being certain they’d be able to attend, Peggy explained that Zachary didn’t had any expectations about the event because he’d never experienced anything like it before.
Kelley was pleased for the opportunity to speak with the Gagnons at length on the day of the run.
“They are an amazing family,” he said. “They are very spirited, full of life and gracious for everything.”
Kelley said Zachary was “well spoken and very humble with an amazing outlook.”
Zachary did agree to speak prior to the start of the 5K, and the 10-year-old’s brief words spoke volumes. “This is a hard time, but I will get through it. This is a great group,” he said to those in the gymnasium.
Zachary also served as the official starter of the run/walk, doing so from inside the pickup truck of Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Maine Warden Service — the federal agency that the 10-year-old would like to work for when he grows up.
“I could see in his expression that, in his mind, he was just thinking about all the people that care,” Peggy said. “And for him to have the nerve to stand before everyone and talk with them in the college gymnasium before the race — I’m just so impressed by his braveness and his courage.”
Zach’s bravery extends far beyond the public speaking forum. As he’s currently on week four of an intensive 12 weeks of chemotherapy treatment, Peggy says that Zach continues to impress the medical staff charged with his care.
“They are just amazed by his courageousness and tolerance — and he’s not rude to the staff even when there are some things he’d rather not have done,” Peggy said, describing how some of the procedures would have her in tears.
Though only 10, Peggy says that Zach has expressed that he wants people to be kind to one another — especially in school.
“I think his personality is helping him get through this — his positive outlook, he’s just a very loving and understanding person despite his young age,” Peggy said, adding that throughout the treatments, her son hasn’t lost his tremendous sense of humor.
On Monday, Peggy said that Zach was able to do things he enjoyed like going for walks and riding his bike, but with limitations.
“We were pretty active before all this, so being indoors has been a challenge, but he’s been able to slowly come back to his normal self,” she said.
Given Zach’s enthusiasm for outdoor activities, its uncertain if any event would be more appropriate for the community to show their support through than a 5K.
The participants included the Gagnon’s immediate family from the Frenchville/St. Agatha area, but also classmates and staff members from Teague Park Elementary School in Caribou, where Gagnon is a fifth-grade student; employees of the warden service and border patrol, a group from TAMC’s Aroostook Pediatrics, running enthusiasts as well as other cancer patients and various community members out to support the cause. In all, Kelley said 150 took part in the event. In addition, with donations coming in from as far away as Ohio, Florida and New Hampshire and throughout Maine, the fund-raising total has hit over $8,300 and still growing.
“I’m very gracious for everything people have done, and I can’t begin to name names as there are so many,” Peggy said, asking only that people keep her son in their thoughts and prayers.
Donations to the Gagnons are still being accepted. People can send checks made payable to “Tri Aroostook – Zach’s Run” to P. O. Box 927, Presque Isle, ME 04769.
