Megan Joyce and her family will be there early Sunday morning for the beginning of the races. Their goal is to be there at the end as well.

The second annual 1/2 Marathon/5K Run-or-Walk, sponsored by PFBF, CPAs will begin at 8 a.m., Sunday at 46 FirstPark Drive in Oakland, in front of the PFBF office.

Additional Photos

MAKE-A-WISH: The Joyce family, (from left to right) Ben, Jason, Chris, Elizabeth and Megan in the front, pose for a picture recently. The 1/2 Marathon/5K Run-or-Walk sponsors by PFBF, CPAs will raise money for Megan’s Make-A-Wish, which is a trip to Disney. Contributed photo

PFBF picks a local charity for the money raised each year, and this year’s recipient is the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine. This wish is going to Megan Joyce, a 6-year-old from Winslow who was born with Down Syndrome and was diagnosed with leukemia last year.

Race director Ann Grant said the race raised about $1,700 last year, and PFBF is committed to raising $6,000 for this race. The $6,000 is the average cost of a child’s wish through the foundation.

Megan’s wish is to go to Disney, and the plan is for her to go in September. She’s in the middle of a 27-month treatment process which includes chemotherapy, and she just ended a two-week stay at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.

“We have spent 8 1/2 months out of the last 12 months in the hospital,” said Elizabeth Joyce, Megan’s mother. “She’s a happy little girl. She’s really resilient and strong, and way better at this than I am. I think Make-A-Wish really gives these kids something to look forward to.”

Elizabeth said Megan was born with three heart defects, and had surgery to correct them when she was 3 months old. The leukemia, which is essentially a cancer of the blood, began as a cold that wouldn’t go away.

“It’s wearing. It’s exhausting. There’s a lot of unknowns,” Elizabeth said. “When we were dealing with her heart problem, there was a problem, there was a date to fix it, and it was done.

“Cancer is different. That leaves a lot of room for worrying for parents. It’s all kind of scary. You kind of live without making plans for a long time.”

But Megan is still cheerful and full of life. Cathy Langlais, the “wish maker” with the foundation, has known Megan for over a year, and said she has the staff at the Barbara Bush Hospital “wrapped around her finger.”

“She’s very into princesses and all things girly,” Elizabeth said. “Of course, she has two older brothers, so I didn’t give her much choice.”

Megan communicates mostly through sign language, and picked that up quickly.

“When I met Megan, she was 4 1/2, and she knew over 700 words in sign language,” Langlais said.

Elizabeth said Megan is on steroids once a month, which increases her appetite. In a given day, Elizabeth and Megan may eat mashed potatoes together at 2 a.m., then Elizabeth will make a huge container of spaghetti and meat sauce at 7 a.m.

There’s also one of Megan’s favorite foods: Cheerios — not as a bowl of cereal, but dipped in ketchup.

“Kids on chemotherapy eat really odd foods,” Elizabeth said. “She’s put it in my mouth a couple times. It is as gross as it sounds.”

Grant said there are well over 100 runners already registered, and the number of entrants doubled last year on race day, so she’s expecting over 200 runners and walkers. Runners or walkers can register at the PFBF office from 4-6 p.m., today, or at the race site beginning at 7 a.m., Sunday. The cost is $35.

Megan and her family will see the racers off, and if Megan is feeling well enough, she’ll be around at the end of the race to present medals. Elizabeth said the survival rate — as in no reoccurrence — for Megan’s leukemia is 80 to 85 percent.

“She has a good chance, and we are fighting it with everything we’ve got,” Elizabeth said. This is not a child who goes down easy. She’s a fighter. This is a hard road for us. This is a setback. I have no doubt she’s going to make it.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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