Tuesday August 9 2016 – Hancock
This third day of my third Trek Across Maryland is extra special. Wayne Haydorn is back from last year’s team to do this day. He made the entire 2nd Trek with me and finished with a stress fracture in his leg… but that didn’t keep him away. Today we honor his friend’s son Cade Wineke and will see some of his family along the way. They met us last year and it was a definite moral boost!
This will be a longer day totaling 53 miles. Since this is the ‘skinny part’ of Maryland, the only direct road to the east is the Interstate we can’t use. So, the first 10 miles will be on the Western Maryland Rail Trail by bike. Then we will link up with our crew at Big Pool and get back on our feet for 27 miles of hiking. Today’s marathon will get us to mile 100 of the journey. I am looking forward to Devil’s Backbone Waterfall. Then we will be back on the back in Boonsboro and work our way over South Mountain to Frederick.
If you live in Frederick, we will be taking over Brewers Alley of dinner after 6 PM. Come out and join us. We will have shirts and bracelets for sale for our Cool Kids Campaign Fundraiser.
Cade Wineke
- 2 years old
- Type of Cancer: Medulloblastoma
- Lives in Manchester, MD
From his parents….
On April 11, 2016, we heard the words no parent ever wants to hear “Your child has a brain tumor.” It was the absolute worst day of our lives – one we certainly never want to relive. Cade was 21 months old at the time. My husband, Chris, and I woke up early that day for Cade to get a scheduled MRI – a few weeks prior he began crossing his eyes. We immediately took action because we felt like something was not right. We called several pediatric ophthalmologists and got three appointments that next week. One doctor saw some optic nerve paleness, which alerted her to order an MRI. She really thought he just had some muscle weakness but was erring on the side of caution – thankfully. The other two ophthalmologists did not recommend an MRI – they were “100% positive” he did not have a brain tumor – we actually asked this question because it was our concern from the beginning. My #1 piece of advice – trust your gut. You are your child’s best advocate.
A few days later, we left Cade in the hands of his amazing pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Mari Groves, for 9 hours. We paced the halls, chatted with our family, cried, prayed, worried, and waited. Waited to hear this, “It couldn’t have gone any better.” She got out 100% of Cade’s tumor. Seeing him and holding him, for the first time post-surgery brought on so many emotions – relief, happiness, and of course, more worries. We waited another week to get his diagnosis – Desmoplastic Medulloblastoma.
His treatment plan includes chemotherapy every other week – each cycle we are in-patient for at least 4 days. If all goes as planned, this aggressive chemotherapy schedule will only last 6 months. Cade has thrown up the past few months more times than I have in my 35 years of life, he is losing his hair, gets painful mouth sores, is losing weight, doesn’t want to eat, but is still smiling, loves his big brothers with his whole heart, and is an inspiration to all who know him. His smile lights up a room. His daily hugs make my worries and tears temporarily fade away. He is teaching us about what it really means to live each day to the fullest.
We can’t talk about Cade’s story without giving mention to our amazing family members, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and even strangers, who have rallied around us, are praying for Cade, supporting our family financially, with meals, with babysitting for our other boys, and with shoulders to cry on. We are completely overwhelmed with the love that has come our way and these kind of stories need to be shared – there are so many kind-hearted souls in our world, and for that we are forever grateful.
The past few months have felt as if we are climbing an uphill battle, but Cade is kicking butt all the way to the top.
Cade,
We will be going uphill a lot today as well. But no complaints. We will make it and let that be a sign you will make it too.
Note that the donation page I am sending you is my portion of the team. This is a collective effort and every penny goes to Cool Kids Campaign for programs that benefit pediatric patients and their families.
More About Why I Do This Trek
By the Numbers: Why 14 and 41 play such a big role
Video: My come from behind track victory 3 years after almost losing my leg
Team Members Today
Wayne Haydorn
Once again I am thrilled to have my team member from last year’s trek back today. He is a fighter himself and will represent his family well.
Team Tri-Sport Junction
Jane Linde is the co-owner of Tri Sport Junction with Donna Larkin (whom I hope you saw in my Facebook videos). This duo put a lot of effort in organizing a team, in addition to their store. But everything they do is a success and everyone around them is better for it. Today, I am certain will be the same. I am thrilled to have Jane join us as well.
Andrea Everton- Part of the Tri Sport Team is along as fresh legs of the day as well 🙂
Track our Trek
- Trek Home Page– includes live tracking and more background stories.
Live broadcasts will be on Facebook. Most photos throughout the day will be posted on Twitter and Instagram. Videos will be posted on YouTube.
- Twitter: @JustinWeather
- Instagram: justinweather
- Facebook: Justin Berk, Meteorologist
- YouTube: Justin Berk
Big Thank You to our headline sponsor Ledo Pizza
Get the award winning Kid Weather App I made with my oldest son and support our love for science, weather, and technology. Our 3 year anniversary of the release and our contribution to STEM education is this November. It has been downloaded in 60 countries, and works in both temperature scales. With your support we can expand on the fun introduction to science and real weather.
