The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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September 1, 2010

Poker run will raise funds for Ally’s House

By Joe Malan, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — It’s been about seven months since Stacie Caywood’s son, Cash, passed away from cancer.

In order to keep his memory alive, she, her husband, Jason, and other members of the family have organized several events to benefit children with cancer.

“We took a journey that no parent ever wants to take,” Stacie Caywood said, “but through this, we found that we can help other people.”

In July, the Caywoods, along with Summer Detrick and Haley Nixon, of RE/MAX, put on a FUNraiser in memory of Cash. Proceeds from the event went to benefit Children’s Hospital and Ally’s House. Ally’s House is a nonprofit foundation that financially helps families who have children that are fighting cancer.

It is the organization that helped the Caywood family in their time of need.

When Cash was first diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer, the family had to buy several prescriptions that cost several thousand dollars each.

Caywood said one prescription alone was $3,000.

“Ally’s House stepped in and wrote the check,” she said.

Caywood said she wanted to thank Ally’s House for helping them.

“That’s what I told them, when they did that the first time, I called them and said, ‘I will pay you back,’” she said. “They laughed, they said they didn’t expect me to pay them back.”

But events such as the FUNraiser are allowing the Caywood family to do just that.

On Sept. 11, there will be another event designed to raise money for Ally’s House, in memory of Cash, called the Gold Ribbon Ride.

The Gold Ribbon Ride is a poker run that will start at Open Road Leathers, 1923 W. Garriott, and end in El Reno after four stops.

Caywood said she would like everyone participating to bring a toy along.

After the ride ends, participants will deliver the toys to Children’s Hospital in El Reno.

Caywood said her cousin, Chris Hoffman, put the event together.

The poker run is open to any street legal vehicle. Registration begins at 9 a.m. that day and is $20 per vehicle and $10 per passenger. An extra hand of poker is $5.

The family is tying the ride into Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which is September.

Caywood said sometimes cancer in children isn’t publicized as much as the cancers that can occur in adults.

“There are 49 children a day diagnosed with cancer,” she said.

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