Malibu Team Will Celebrate Young Cancer Survivor At Triathlon

MALIBU, CA — Payton Grimes was sitting with her sister watching TV, hair still wet from the shower, when her parents came into the room and said they needed to rush to Children's Hospital Los Angeles immediately — a huge mass had shown up on her chest on her last scans. They ran to the car; Payton was still in her pajamas.

"I was sitting in the back, and I remember seeing my dad driving [with] my mom in the passenger seat and seeing how scared they were. I had no idea what was going on, but seeing how scared they were almost made me realize how intense the situation was," Grimes said.

After two stressful weeks in the intensive care unit, full of painful procedures and terrifying uncertainty, Grimes finally got a diagnosis: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that most often affects adults, though Grimes is only a junior in high school.

After six rounds of chemotherapy, Grimes was told she was cancer free in mid-August.

"I've been like 'go, go, go' the past six months I didn't even know how to react," she said.

Grimes' story touched her dad's coworkers, who decided to compete in her honor at the Malibu Triathlon on Sept. 25 and 26. Every year the Malibu Triathlon benefits the Children's Hospital Los Angles, where Grimes was treated, and its pediatric cancer research.

Stephen Germain, Drew Feth and Kevin Lam all work in the Global Information Security department at The Walt Disney Company with Grimes' dad, and have made a relay team for the triathlon.

"We're not a very large organization in the Disney umbrella, so it makes it unique that we are very familiar with the names and faces on our team," Lam said. "So when Stephen reached out and mentioned the opportunity to help, it really [was] a call to action. It was a lot of camaraderie to come together and not only help a great cause, but it was near and dear because it impacted someone we closely worked with."

Grimes said she is grateful to the team and excited to give back to the Children's Hospital.

"Children's really took care of me, and though there were a bunch of procedures that I didn’t like and obviously no one likes to go through treatment or be told that they have cancer, I wouldn't rather do it anywhere else," Grimes said. "I would love even in the future to help them in any way, so I'm really looking forward to this [triathlon] to support them”

The team was taken by Grimes' strength and bravery throughout her treatment, and want to show their support for her in a more substantial way than simply sending well wishes.

Germain and Lam have both seen cancer in their immediate families, which made them particularly empathetic to Grimes' experience. Grimes' story made Lam think of his two teenage daughters.

The triathlon has also offered a bonding experience for the squad, and they've received a great deal of support and sponsorship both within and outside of Disney. Grimes is also looking forward to meeting people at the triathlon and sharing her story with participants.

Team AwesomeSause and Grimes are no strangers to intense physical competition. This will be Germain's sixth time participating in the Malibu Triathlon; while Lam and Feth have never participated in this triathlon, they've both ran in similar events.

Grimes has always been athletic; she ran track for years, plays soccer and loves to surf. She's been trying to work back up to full athletic capacity since she finished chemotherapy, taking power-walks and going to the ocean with her family.

The squad has been training for weeks, logging hundreds of miles in the pool, by foot and on bike. They plan to get in two full practice runs on the Malibu course.

"I'm pretty confident that I'm going to kill it," Germain said.

The team and Grimes agree it's crucial that people remember the bigger picture, and the kids who aren't getting the same direct support as Grimes. She was especially saddened that the majority of kids on her floor at Children's Hospital were far younger than her.

"I obviously feel grateful, but I think there are a lot of kids who are going through this who may not get as much support," Grimes said. She added: "So I’m also hoping that this race will show other kids in my position that they do have support."

The team is hoping to shine light on the positive work of the Children's Hospital at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has consumed so much of public discourse.

"There's just so much death, destruction, negative [and] politically charged stuff out there," Feth said. "Being able to be part of something that's working towards a solution to some of the problems that are out there — to me, it's inspiring and it helps me navigate these difficult times that we're in."

Team AwesomeSauce has raised $10,633 for the Children's Hospital as of Thursday, exceeding their $10,000 goal. You can make a donation to Team AwesomeSauce using this link.