From The Orange County Register
By Joseph Pimentel / Staff Writer
ANAHEIM – The sign Kyle Crecelius carried as he walked around the Disneyland Resort at this year’s Children’s Hospital of Orange County Walk in the Park summed it up best.
“Through it all we never walked alone,” the sign read.
There’s a common saying that it takes a village to raise and care for a child. Crecelius and his team of 40 people wanted to let the village – his supporters and the staff at CHOC – know how much they are appreciated for what they have done for Crecelius’ 4-year-old son Luke, who has been cancer-free for 10 months.
“We’re here to support their mission,” said Crecelius, 31, of La Mirada. “We were the beneficiaries and received support before us and now, we’re paying it forward.”
On Sunday, Crecelius and his family again didn’t walk alone. They were among the 16,000 walkers and about 800 teams that participated in this year’s fundraiser.
The 3-mile walk through Disneyland and Disney California Adventure is the largest walk for pediatric care in the nation and the most important fundraiser for the hospital, CHOC officials said. The walk is in its 24th year.
Many participants got up early and gathered at Disneyland before sunrise, carrying signs and banners of loved ones who are current or former patients, or honoring those who died after a serious illness.
This year’s event raised about $2 million, hospital officials said. The money raised goes toward programs and services such as the hospital’s Kids Care fund; education, treatment and care; and to help children who may be uninsured or underinsured, said Zach Abrams, CHOC director of special events.
“This is the community coming together for the children – not just Orange County, but the surrounding areas,” Abrams said. “This is such a vital resource. If it weren’t for the 35,000 donations and the thousands of people walking, we wouldn’t have this. We are so grateful and it means so much.”
Since its inception, the event has raised about $22 million, officials said.
The CHOC Walk began in 1991 at MainPlace mall in Santa Ana and has grown considerably from the 1,400 walkers who participated that year to 16,000 this year. It’s been held at Disneyland for more than a decade.
Standing behind Sleeping Beauty Castle and wearing white T-shirts printed with “Team Baby V,” Richard Rodriguez, 38, and his wife Aide, 41, of Whittier held their 10-month old baby girl. At 4 months old, doctors discovered little Victoria Mia had multiple cysts covering her brain. She has had four surgeries at CHOC to remove the cysts in the past five months.
Rodriguez and his family participated in the walk as their way to thank the hospital for taking care of their daughter.
“They’ve treated us like family,” Aide said.
Holding a large green monster that floated high above the crowd, Rodger Ocker, 49, of Corona walked in memory of his son Aidan, who died of brain cancer in September 2012 at age 11. The green monster balloon was a reference to baseball stadium Fenway Park, the home of Aidan’s favorite team, the Boston Red Sox.
“CHOC did everything they could to try and save my son,” Ocker said. “This event is bittersweet. Obviously, we wish it was a different result, but the staff was amazing and we’ll continue to help fund-raise for the health of other children.”
Contact the writer: jpimentel@ocregister.com or on Twitter @ocdisney
