Ryan Tarapchak made a commitment to go for a run every day between August 8 and September 8, even if it meant running in the oppressive heat in his hometown of Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
Ryan hopes his strides will inspire others to donate to his friend’s 6-year-old sister, Isabella O’Brien, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in March. The rare form of cancer, which develops in the connective tissue, had metastasized to Isabella’s femur. To treat it, Isabella is currently undergoing 42 weeks of chemotherapy and proton therapy treatments.
Ryan’s initial goal was $10,000. He has exceeded that by more than $1,000 with a week remaining in his 30-day streak.
When Ryan, 11, learned about Isabella’s cancer, he said, “I was afraid because she is really little and it’s rare to get cancer. I have a little sister, too, and I would be nervous if she got it. I know it costs a lot of money.”
Originally Ryan wanted to give Isabella all of the money that he’d saved. Instead, Ryan’s mother, Janine, thought Ryan, an avid distance runner who has participated in cross country for the last few years, could fundraise through his running. So Ryan resolved to run for 30 straight days before school starts to spur donations to a GoFundMe page for Isabella. His longest run so far has been 6.2 miles.
When the O’Brien’s learned about Ryan’s efforts, they were “blown away,” said Isabella’s dad, Scott.
“For an 11-year-old kid deciding to do something like this so selflessly for someone else, his parents should be very proud of him,” Scott said. “Most kids want to spend their summer going to the pool or parties, but Ryan wants to spend every day running in 95-degree weather to raise money for someone else.”
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Scott said Isabella’s cancer diagnosis was life changing, but they’ve since tried to keep everything as normal as possible now that Isabella’s treatments are on a set schedule.
The O’Brien’s insurance covers much of the costs involved, but “we’re going to put the money aside for anything that we don’t anticipate that’s not covered,” Scott said. “It will be for things like travel—my wife spent a month and a half going back and forth to Philadelphia.
The donations will also pay for the cost of wigs for Isabella, who has lost her hair because of the treatments.
“It’s amazing,” Ryan said about the donations he’s received. “It’s probably going to help her a lot.”
“We’re so excited that Ryan has been able to do it,” added Janine, who joins Ryan for his daily runs. “Any kid can make a difference if they try to help.”
Scott said he and his family are appreciative of Ryan’s running streak.
“I was joking saying that [Ryan] is the first person I’ll say is allowed to date my daughter when she’s old enough,” Scott said. “We’re especially proud that he’s achieved his goal. He’s already such a great kid, but going forward, for him to see that he can set a goal and put his heart into it, the rewards are tremendous.”
