Shouts, cheers, blaring music, and a sea of bright red balloons
filled Drake Stadium Saturday morning. Children squealed with
delight as they attempted to pour ice water down each other’s
backs. Groups of parents chatted with each other while standing in
line with their children who waited impatiently for a face painter
to bestow colorful works of art on their cheeks.
On the announcer’s cue, young toddlers and their parents
hurried to the starting line to begin running, waddling and
skipping around the track to raise funds for patients with sickle
cell disease.
SLIDESHOW
See more photos from the ‘Little Legs, Big Hearts’ fundraising
event.
More than 300 participating children gathered with their
families at UCLA to participate in the Little Legs, Big Hearts
fundraising event, a quarter-mile run for children to benefit the
Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California.
Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder most common among
blacks in which red blood cells warp into a crescent shape,
blocking the blood stream in the veins and preventing the proper
flow of oxygen.
Mary Brown, the president of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation
of California, said 150 babies in California are born with sickle
cell disease each year, and 40 percent of the sickle cell disease
population in California lives in Los Angeles County.
“Sickle cell disease is the most painful disease a person
can have,” Brown said. “One child patient described it
to me as having ice picks jammed into your leg over and over
again.”
The annual event was put on by B-Dads, a non-profit support
group of fathers whose mission is to “provide a supportive,
cultural and educational experience for our children, our families
and our community,” according to its Web site. The group also
reaches out to the community through fundraising and social
events.
The run was open to all children aged 1 to 8 and their families,
with the entry requirement that they contribute or raise a minimum
of $20 toward the cause.
This event was 2-year-old Khai’s first encounter with
charity and fundraising.
“It’s great that they have something like this for
the kids,” said Kynia McCoy, Khai’s mother. “I
hope he gains a sense of being with the kids and the community.
I’ve already explained to him what this is all about, and
he’s very excited.”
When asked to show how excited he was, Khai stretched his arms
as far away from his body as possible and said, “This
much.”
Out of the more than $40,000 raised in total proceeds, 80
percent will go to support various programs at the Sickle Cell
Disease Foundation of California and 20 percent will go to the aid
of B-Dads’ relief efforts and community outreach programs,
said Allison Curry, director of operations for B-Dads.
The Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California provides a
variety of programs and services for patients with sickle cell
disease, including a summer camp program for children, a tutorial
support service for children who miss too much school due to the
disease and a program to educate health care providers about the
disease.
Few treatments exist except for bone marrow transplants, which
can only be conducted on 10 percent of the patient population due
to the difficulty of finding a matching donor, Brown said.
One possible treatment is being tested at the Los Angeles
Biomedical Research Institute and researched by Emmaus Medical,Inc.
It was inspired by UCLA medical professor Yutaka Niihara after he
studied the cause of sickle cell disease in Africa, said Daniel
Kimbell, the chief operating officer of Emmaus Medical, Inc.
The treatment involves ingesting the amino acid glutamine which
filters into the blood and provides structural support for the red
blood cells, preventing them from warping and collapsing. Though
the human body can produce glutamine on its own, sickle cell
disease patients are unable to produce enough to meet their
bodies’ needs, Kimbell said.
The end of the Little Legs, Big Hearts run marked an exciting
moment for the many children completing their first charity event.
Amid a flurry of other running, walking and leaping toddlers, Khai
hurried around the last bend of the track, cheered on by his mother
as she ran next to him.
As the McCoys crossed the finish line, Khai shouted victoriously
to his mother, “We won!” Volunteers rushed to place a
gold medal around his neck, much to his enthusiasm.
“It was a great experience, (Khai) was really
excited,” McCoy said. “It really was
rewarding.”