Bone cancer i leg lost

Pekin adds leg to St. Jude run -- Family of teen lost to cancer

Chad Creech was a normal athletic boy who always wanted to participate in the St. Jude Run. First it was baseball, karate and track that kept him too busy to run; later cancer got in his way.

Creech was 18 when he lost his battle to cancer almost three years ago, but his family is keeping his memory alive by starting the first Pekin to Peoria St. Jude Run in his name. Runners in this relay- style event may choose to run anywhere from 1 to 20 miles during the event. An informational meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday at the Pekin Township Hall, 420 Elizabeth St.

Chad's parents, Kim and Jackie Creech, and his sister, Cassie, are organizing the run to honor Chad's memory and to give something back to St. Jude for helping them through the most difficult days of their lives, Kim said.

"Chad always wanted to do the St. Jude Run when he was younger before he was sick, but he was so involved with sports in the summer that he was never able to do it," his mom said. "That same year he got sick, he said, 'Mom, I'm definitely doing (the run) this year.' But then he got sick and was never able to do it."

The Pekin to Peoria run will be one of many satellite runs that lead to the St. Jude Memphis to Peoria run to raise money for research and caring for sick children and their families.

"One hundred percent of every dollar raised goes to research and care for children with catastrophic diseases regardless of their ability to pay," Kim Creech said.

The Creech family knows first-hand the importance of St. Jude to a family with a cancer-stricken child.

"All Chad's medicines were paid for, all the tests were paid for. We had insurance so our insurance paid a lot, but when it came time for the (bone marrow) transplant, my husband had to quit his job for us to move to Memphis," Kim Creech said.

Since the family had no income at that time, St. Jude paid the deductible for their private insurance, as well as out-of-pocket expenses. So far, 30 runners have signed up for the Pekin to Peoria run, including many of Chad's friends.

"We're also going around to the fire stations, the police stations and schools, and we're putting fliers up. We're working on sponsors, too," Kim Creech said.

The family plans to sell raffle tickets at a booth during Derby Days for a basket filled with items donated by local merchants, including hotel stays and dinners, valued at $500.

Runners who want to participate must attend an informational meeting to sign a waiver. Runners will be asked to find between 300 and 500 sponsors each. The event is designed so all level of runners may participate.

"It doesn't have to be a fast run," Kim Creech said. "You only have to go as fast as the slowest runner."

While Chad was an athlete, competing at the state level in junior high for track, his mother has never been a runner.

"The segments are usually two to six miles, but ours is going to be one to six miles (because) I think other towns are more fit than we are here," she joked.

The family had hoped to start the run last year but had to postpone it to this summer when their house caught on fire in March 2001. It was Chad's sister, Cassie, 17, who came up with the idea.

"She's a junior in high school and a cheerleader. She's real energetic and in shape," Kim said, laughing. "She's answered phones during the St. Jude telethon for two years now - Chad did it at least one year - and she just wanted to do more in his memory."

Creech hopes the run will raise awareness about St. Jude as well as money.

"It's a real important cause," she said. "There are at least 12 families in Pekin that I know of right off the top of my head that have gone to St. Jude - and almost all of them have lived in the C.B. Smith/Edison School area. There is a real need for it."

As a mother, she also hopes to make people realize that this could happen to anyone.

"People need to understand it's not just kids that are born sick," she said.

"Chad was just a normal, very athletic, easy-to-get-along with boy that this never should have happened to. You just never know when it's going to happen to you. He was so healthy all of his life. He just had chest pains one day, went in to the hospital, and our whole world turned upside down."

The Creech family hopes to make the Pekin to Peoria run an annual event. For more information, contact Kim, Jackie or Cassie Creech at 353-3721 or the St. Jude Run office at 691-1485.