At first glance, one might have thought a Comic-Con event occurred this past weekend in Bellville, given the numerous people dressed in superhero outfits. In actuality, the Ohio chapter of Compassion in Action sponsored the “Who’s Your Hero” 5K Fun Run/Walk at New Life Church of Christ on Sunday.
Participants of the race were encouraged to dress in their favorite superhero costume. Kurt Beal, president of Compassion in Action and the event coordinator, explained that the theme of the race (Who’s Your Hero?) was meant to encourage people to think about the heroes in their own lives.
Pointing to the Bishop, Farnsworth, and Puckett families, he said, “True heroes are people like that.”
The three families he referenced all have children with special needs.
Sunday’s event was held to benefit these families. The proceeds of the event were split and donated evenly among the families.
“Compassion in Action originally started when my godson had brain cancer a few years ago and we did a 5K, and we just wanted to start making an annual event to benefit different people within the Clear Fork, Fredericktown, and Lexington communities, just to help,” explained Beal.
The Bishop, Farnsworth, and Puckett families shared similar feelings about the event—they explained that while it was a bit overwhelming, in a good way, to experience something like that, they were all appreciative for the support that they received.
“I feel like I’m going to be saying thank you, thank you, thank you all day,” said Heather Farnsworth with a smile.
Heather Farnsworth is the mother of Aaron Farnsworth, who was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at three years old. In 2011, he lost his ability to walk and now uses a wheelchair for which the family must make modifications to the home.
The Farnsworth family is made up of Heather and her husband Jason, along with their children, Alisha, 18, Aaron, 13, Jessica, 9, and Natalie, 3. They reside in Bellville.
Kimberly Bishop said of the event, “It’s exciting and new; I’ve never been through anything like this before.” She lives in Lexington with her daughter, Kaleia Bishop, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and receives physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Kaleia Bishop suffers from petit mal seizures daily, wears braces on her feet and legs, and must take various medications daily.
Despite her afflictions, Kaleia Bishop had a smile on her face during the event. She even paused for a picture, as she bore a big, toothy grin, during the start of the 5K, in which both she and her mother participated.
Kimberly Bishop said she didn’t have a particular goal in mind for the 5K, just that she wanted them to finish, she said.
Martha Puckett of Fredericktown rocked her twin babies in her arms, flashing a smile at passers-by at the event. Her twin girls, Jazmine and Janessa Puckett, were born 15 weeks early and weighed 1 pound, 11 ounces and 1 pound, 7 ounces, respectively.
“It’s been a long road, but they are doing really well now,” she said of the twins. “They’re starting to crawl, so they’re meeting their milestones medically.”
The proceeds from Sunday’s event will go a long way for covering her family’s medical expenses, she noted. She said that she’s had to pay $20,000 out-of-pocket for the medical bills. “Some of that has been taken care of, but there’s still a lot that hasn’t, so that’s what this is going to go toward as far as helping pay the rest of the medical bills,” she explained.
The Puckett family consists of Martha and her children, Mason, 7, McKinzie, 2, Jazmine and Janessa. Martha’s husband, John Puckett, died in an unfortunate accident when a car he was working on fell on him.
In addition to the races, the event offered music, refreshments, a silent auction, and children’s games.
Beal didn’t have a total amount for the number of people who participated in the races, but he was proud of the turnout. “We had almost 90 5K runners pre-registered and a couple dozen fun runners before today,” he said.
Alice Hutzel-Bateson of Bellville was among the 5K participants. She explained, “We read about the three families that are receiving the funds. I don’t know a lot of details about the families off the top of my head, but it definitely seemed like a good cause to participate in.”
Thus, both she and her nine-year-old son, Hayden, ran in the 5K, and her husband, Jason, served as a volunteer for the event.
Hutzel-Bateson sported a pink wig and cape. Explaining her costume, she said, “They wanted us to dress as our favorite superhero or hero and honestly I have known several people in my life who have been victims of breast cancer or survived breast cancer and my sister is one, so I just thought it would be fun. Those are my heroes.”
