Jacey’s race set for 20-year anniversary on July 11

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It’s been 20 years since organizers first began a 5K fundraiser for the then-4-year-old Jacey Lawson.

Diagnosed with stage IV Wilms’ tumor, Jacey’s community in Boulder, Colorado, decided to rally around her to help pay for mounting medical bills and provide emotional support for her and her family.

The event was so successful Jacey’s family wanted to keep it going, and brought it with them to Sandpoint in 2007 after moving in 2005.

After fighting and recovering from a second bout of cancer in 2018, Jacey is turning 25 this year, a college graduate, and still an integral part of Jacey’s Race. Since the time her community rallied for her in 2001, Jacey’s race has had 55 beneficiaries. Two-and-a-half-year-old Colton Byers and 16-year-old Ally Mason will make it 57.

Diagnosed with juvenile inflammatory arthritis, it would be hard to guess seeing Colton at Wednesday’s beneficiary dinner just how much time the toddler has spent in the hospital. As he bounced between his mother and father, Colton smiled and chattered excitedly.

Colton already loves to get into mischief, said his mother Brooke Eddy. He loves playing outside, and he’s very talkative.

Although he’s been doing better, Colton had to be taken to the hospital before he was six months old, Brooke said. That first visit would be followed by many others, including multiple trips to see specialists in Spokane and Seattle.

The support of the community, Brooke said, has been “surreal.”

“I still keep waiting for the floor to fall out from under us,” she said.

Throughout the process of caring for Colton, her family has also provided unwavering support and care, including watching her two daughters, Alexis and Chryslynn, during trips to the hospital.

“When he was sick there would be times when they would come home from school and I’d be gone with Colton at the hospital,” she said. “They’ve all been so supportive.

Ally, the second beneficiary of the night, said learning she had been selected for Jacey’s Race was both exciting and a little intimidating — she didn’t know what it would be like, she said, but the support has helped tremendously.

After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Ally recently underwent surgery to have both her thyroids removed, she said. The process was scary, and she had never had surgery before. It hurt when she woke up, she said, but she was also relieved.

Being 16 and diagnosed with cancer is extremely difficult, she said. It impacted her school, and her social life. Some well-intentioned messages became overwhelming.

“The first few days after I got diagnosed, everybody wanted to text me,” Ally said. “It's just so hard.”

As bad as cancer is, she said, it’s also helped her to find who she is.

“I feel like now I definitely know who’s there for me,” she said. “A lot of people have shown their true colors, so it makes me feel good to have everybody's love and support.”

This year’s event, which features a 5K race and 1K fun run, will be held in-person on July 11 starting at 8:30 a.m., with a staggered start option for those who prefer to social distance. The race also has a virtual option for those who wish to run in their own time from July 4-10.

The event will also feature a silent auction for donations, expo vendors, activities, cotton candy and snow cones.

Registration is $25 for the 5K and $15 for the 1K, with proceeds to benefit the beneficiary families and Community Cancer Services and the Pediatric Department of Bonner General Health. Children 12 years and under run free. The course will begin at Sandpoint High School at 410 South Division Street.

More information and registration options are available at jaceys-race.com.