Micro Sprint drivers and fans race to help a Mertztown three-year old fighting Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
The 177 racers from the Kutztown Action Track USA, the Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville, as well as numerous other tracks throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey got together at Slick Willy’s Karts and Eats Friday, Nov. 28, to raise money for a little boy from Mertztown who was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia.
The $580 was raised through raffles and donations during the event. There was an additional $275 donated by the ARDC Midgets Association. The association contributed proceeds from a 50/50 drawing held during its banquet plus the money won was also added.
Three-year old Bradley Heater played and got bruises like most kids, but then when his legs grew painful his mother, Erika Heater, got online to do a little investigating.
“I just started Googling, which is bad, but I still Googled. He had a little bit of dried blood in his nose the same week his legs were hurting and I Googled and there was this ad on the Internet saying, ‘My two and a half-year old daughter went from pain in her leg to having leukemia in two hours,’ so that was like a red flag,” said Heater.
Heater called her pediatrician as soon as she realized her son had all of the symptoms of leukemia, which included a low temperature, petechiae and bruising.
“There was no doubt in my mind he had leukemia,” said Heater. “I knew it so I packed his PJ’s, we went to the doctor, they sent out for blood work immediately to the Lehigh Valley and then we were admitted.”
Bradley was admitted Jan. 29 of this year. He has one more intensive treatment and then he will be placed on daily medication at home with monthly hospital visits.
“He’s a trooper; he handles it really good,” said Heater. “He’ll get chemo and we’ll get home and he’s riding his truck or his tricycle.”
Mikey Schauer, Longswamp, organized the fundraising event with the help of his racer friends. Schauer works with Erika and her husband, Hean, at East Penn Manufacturing and wanted to do something to help with the devastating costs of cancer treatments.
“It was a lot of ‘through the grapevine’ so to speak and also there’s ‘Bradley’s Brave Battle’ page on Facebook. It’s just knowing a lot of racecar drivers and the racecar drivers know others and it’s pretty much by word-of-mouth and we didn’t advertise in any newspapers. We just talked about it on Facebook and all of a sudden, here’s probably about 200 people coming to the Slick Willy’s Event.”
According to Schauer, racers who were not able to attend have also pledged donations. He had helped a family last year and has been asked to continue to do fundraising each year.
“It’s fun especially like tonight when you get to help out a little kid plus you get to hang out with a bunch of racers and it’s something to do in the off season,” said Billy, The Dozer, Ney, Muhlenberg.
There were two kinds of tracks, slick and street, where the karts can reach speeds up to 55 miles per hour.
“People that aren’t used to the speeds we’re used to are put on different settings,” said Jeremy, The Animal, Raifsnider, Fleetwood. “If they see you getting close to a barrier or getting in trouble they literally can stop the car instantly. Everything’s computerized because everything’s electric.”
Raifsnider brought in the right rear tire from a 270 micro sprint racecar so it could be signed by each of the racers and then presented to Bradley. Bradley got to sit in one of the racecars for a picture opportunity. After trying to make his feet reach the pedals, he looked up and his smile said it all.
Bradley is considered in remission since June, but needs to continue treatment for three and a half years according to his mother. Heater was told that Bradley has an 80 percent chance of survival.
Follow on facebook under Bradley’s Brave Battle.
