Jay's HOPE Macon run brings exercise to Halloween

A few hundred children earned the right to down some Halloween candy by burning calories Saturday morning in the annual Jay's HOPE Trek or Treat Road Race.

About 1,000 people participated in the event, which is in its 10th year, said Christie Johnson, community relations coordinator for Jay's HOPE. She said it's the biggest crowd the event has ever had. About 600 of the participants were runners, and many wore Halloween costumes.

It included a 5K and a 10K race. Later, children 12 years old or younger ran in the unSpooky Sprint, which was a mile-long run. That was followed by the Candy Mile, in which children walked while carrying buckets and collecting candy from volunteers posted along the route.

The event is a fundraiser for Jay's HOPE, a Macon-based organization that provides assistance to families with children undergoing cancer treatment.

A participant in the Candy Mile, with a unique costume that he conceived, was cancer survivor Riley Baron, 9, of Hawkinsville. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was five. He has been cancer free since his first month of treatment, said his stepfather, Jamie Cain.

Cain, who was volunteering Saturday, said Jay's HOPE has helped the family from the beginning. The group has provided gas cards to pay the cost of driving to Macon for treatments, and has even helped with car repairs.

But as important than the money, he said, is that the group regularly holds events that allow families going through the same thing to connect. It's good for the parents and the children, he said.

"It's indispensable to have someone who knows what you are going through to talk to, just to be a shoulder to cry on or laugh with when you are in a tough situation," Cain said.

Riley demonstrated that his health issues have not impacted his creativity or sense of humor. He came dressed as a "garbage monster," a costume that his mother said he thought of himself. He was walking around inside a garbage can with the bottom removed for his legs. He had the lid on his head and a gas mask on his face. At times he would drop down so that it looked like just an ordinary trash can then he would pop out at people. He won second runner up in the boy's costume contest.

Riley's prognosis had been good from the start due to early diagnosis, but that wasn't the case for Jay Childs, 7, of Jones County. He was three when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He has undergone multiple surgeries, said his mother, Mary Childs, and has been cancer free for three years.

"There was zero chance he would be here today," she said as he stood next to her. "He is a miracle."

They had to make regular trips to Atlanta for treatment and Jay's HOPE helped with the fuel costs, but she also said that the contact with other families in the same situation has helped. The group has also helped with school and by giving advice, she said.

"We would have never made it without them," she said.

Jay's HOPE was founded by Cindy Gaskins, whose son, Jay, died of cancer in 2006.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Jay's HOPE Macon run brings exercise to Halloween ."