Local girl honored at this year’s Pan- Mass Kids Ride

Westborough cancer survivor Kayleigh McCabe, 6, is honored as this year’s Pedal Partner for the Pan- Massachusetts Challenge Westborough Kids Ride taking place May 23 at Westborough High School. PHOTO/MARY JO KURTZ Westborough –Kayleigh McCabe, 6, of Westborough is this year’s Pedal Partner for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) Westborough Kids Ride May 23. This is her second year as the event honoree, and it is a tribute to her fight with cancer that nearly took her life just two years ago.

PMC Kids Rides take place in 35 communities in the New England area, helping to raise money for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. These mini bikea thons are part of the larger PMC August event in which about 5,500 adult cyclists ride 190 miles across the state. Since 1980, the PMC has raised $270 million for the Jimmy Fund.

Kayleigh is one of nearly 12,000 children diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Her battle started in January 2008, when she was a 4-year-old undergoing an appendectomy.

“The doctors found a mass on her liver,” her mother, Corinne, said. Tests showed that McCabe had stage three hepatoblastoma, a form of liver cancer. Within seven months, she underwent three cycles of chemotherapy and had a lifesaving liver transplant.

“It was quite a year,” Corinne said, “It changed us as a family. We have a whole new perspective on life.”

Today, the Fales School firstgrader is receiving follow-up care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. Her cancer is two years into remission. “We might soon be able to say goodbye to [the cancer],” her mother said. As for her liver transplant, that will involve lifelong maintenance, Corinne explained.

For the McCabe family, Kayleigh’s battle left them feeling helpless at times. So when her then-9-year-old brother, Michael, learned of the PMC Kids Ride in nearby Upton, he made the decision to take on the 15-mile ride in her honor.

“It meant a lot to him to be able to do something for Kayleigh,” Corinne said.

After Michael’s participation in the bike-a-thon, Corinne started to look into bringing the fund-raiser to Westborough. Together with Suzanne Burger, Corinne is now co-organizing this year’s second annual Westborough Kids Ride.

The PMC has become a Mc- Cabe family event. Kayleigh’s father, Patrick, volunteers for the festivities. Corinne will be riding her bike from Wellesley to Provincetown in this year’s PMC, covering 157 miles over two days. Michael and Kayleigh will ride alongside more than 200 children ages 3 to 13.

Last year, the PMC Kids Ride in Westborough raised $13,000, a sum the organization hopes to match this year. Approximately 6,000 child cyclists will be participating in rides throughout New England, covering between one and 26 miles. To date, the PMC Kids Rides program has raised more than $2.3 million for the Pan-Mass Challenge.

At this year’s event, there will be two routes for participants. There will be an obstacle course for children ages 3 to 6 and a larger loop for children ages 7 to 13. There will also be a party for the riders afterward, which will include refreshments, face painting, music and raffles.

The PMC Westborough Kids Ride will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, May 23 at Westborough High School. For more information, log on to kids.pmc.org/westborough or call 800-WE-CYCLE.