‘My talent is being kind & making people laugh’

In person and virtually, Jacey’s Race continues with run set for Sunday

CLARK FORK — He is a fun-loving kid who makes friends easily. He loves to hang out with his best buds and his big brother and is a natural at jui jitsu and soccer.

Aiden (who prefers to go by Den) Dyer also has a high-grade glioblastoma — an aggressive cancer, that in the Den’s case is in his brain.

“We're exploring all of our treatment options,” said Helen Hubenthal, Den’s guardian. “He’s already gone through radiation. We’re just in a holding pattern and trying to get as much time as we can with him.”

The 10-year-old was selected as this year’s 2020 Jacey’s Race recipient. While the children’s event has been canceled, the race itself will go on — just without the frills, said Ron Jenkins.

“It has been a crazy year and despite the pandemic, childhood illness doesn’t go away,” Jenkins said. “We struggled with coming up with a plan for the 2020 Jacey’s Race, and ultimately decided to make it happen at a time that so much has been canceled.”

Participants can run or walk the race virtually — on their own time, anytime in the time leading up to Sunday, July 12, when they can do it in person if they choose. The course will be open from 8 a.m. to noon with a running time clock, with results going up on the race results board one at a time.

People can donate, run or walk the race and stay safe — and help Aiden at the same time, Jenkins said.

“We are encouraging people to start the race individually, and to keep their social distancing, while doing something positive and healthy,” he added.

Den was diagnosed with the tumor a little over a year ago. Since then, he has had a course of radiation and is now receiving chemo every two weeks at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane. Six months ago, Den suffered a tumor bleed, which weakened his left side.

Den received a Make-a-Wish trip in January — a visit to the Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, Fla., where the 10-year-old got to experience the new Galaxy’s Edge exhibit in Hollywood Park.

Since the trip, Den enjoys riding on a go-kart gifted to him by community members, something he “absolutely loves.”

Den rode his treasured steed in the Clark Fork Fourth of July parade. “It had every Fourth of July decoration on it that we could find,” Hubenthal said. “It was decorated so nicely and he won grand prize for the child’s division. He was just thrilled.”

Since completing radiation, Den now goes through chemo every other week at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane.

He’s a happy kid who makes friends easily, Hubenthal said. He’s kind, thinks of others and tries to solve disputes and always has a “hello” for friends and classmates.

“Aiden is so wonderful,” she added. “We were talking about it the other night, about how we all have talents in this world, whether they be big or small and he goes, ‘Well my talent is being kind and making people laugh.’ ”

While Den is a kind, thoughtful kid, he does have one thing which drives the family a little crazy, Hubenthal said before laughing.

“The only thing that drives us crazy is he never stops talking,” she laughed. “I mean never. He just goes on and on and on. He doesn’t ever stop.”

In addition to loving to jump on the trampoline with his older brother, he loves spending time keeping in touch with his three best friends via FaceTime and was a natural at jui jitsu and soccer before his diagnosis.

“He says that cancer has changed his perception about things,” Hubenthal said. “He never complains. Instead he lives every moment with pure joy. We could all learn from him.”

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.