St. Linus Students Prepare for 5K Honoring Memory of Emily Beazley

Emily Beazley, who was 12 when she passed away this May of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, lives on in the hearts and minds of her South Side neighbors.

As students at St. Linus School in Oak Lawn prepare for the upcoming 5K on Nov. 21, the middle schoolers got a take away message on the importance of children advocating for other children with cancer.

Dr. Jason Canner, an oncologist at Advocate Children’s Hospital-Oak Lawn, visited students last week to talk about the school’s “Gobble, Gobble, Run or Waddle” 5K.

Students have decided to donate 10 percent of the race proceeds to the Emily Beazley’s Demand for a Cure chapter of the Cure It Foundation. The donation is in honor of the 12-year-old Mt. Greenwood girl who passed away in May after a courageous four-year struggle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

The assembly was part of St. Linus’s pre-race preparation to talk about pediatric cancer. Canner was Emily’s doctor, Daily Southtown reporter Donna Vickroy recounted.

“The take-away message here is: ‘You’ve heard about pediatric cancer; yes, you’ve been touched by it; yes, you heard about this wonderful girl and her family, but you are now part of this. You have the opportunity to give back,’ “ Canner said, “ ‘whether it’s running in the race, helping with it or talking to your siblings or parents or friends about it.’ For me, the goal is for all of us to work together.”

Combined with the $65,000 made at Emily Beazley’s Kures for Kids Fair in September, the portion of the proceeds from St. Linus’s upcoming 5K will go toward a clinical trial to be chosen by Dr. Canner and Emily’s parents, Ed and Nadia Beazley.

Runners from this year’s race will also see green and purple ribbons. Emily’s favorite colors, marking the race route made by St. Linus students.

Last year, the Oak Lawn Catholic grammar school donated $1,000 to Emily’s family to help with expenses related to her care. Even though Emily lost her battle, she lives on in the hearts and minds of all Chicagoans, especially her South Side Mt. Greenwood neighbors.

This year St. Linus hopes to donate a larger amount to pediatric cancer research to help realize Emily’s dream of finding a cure. The Beazley family will have an informational tent at the St. Linus 5K and runners are encouraged to stop by to say hello to Beazleys and show their support.

Other race proceeds will be used to purchase Chromebooks for the school.

The race starts at 9 a.m. Nov. 21 and will be held on school grounds at 10400 S. Lawler Ave., Oak Lawn.

Participants can run or walk in the 5K. Prizes will be awarded to the top runners. Following the race, join St. Linus for an after race party that will include water bottles, fresh fruit and a free pancake breakfast. (Spectators and community members can purchase the breakfast for $5.)

The registration fee is $40. Runners will receive a free tech t-shirt and goodie bag.

To register online or read more about this event, visit the official St. Linus Gobble Gobble Run or Wobble 5K website.

Even though Emily knew she was losing her battle, she expressed her desire to help other kids win theirs.

“Emily was a very kind little girl and she always wanted to give back,” Nadia Beazley told the students. “So this is our calling now that we don’t have Emily — to save another child’s life.”

Read the rest of Donna Vickroy’s story in the Daily Southtown.