Growing up, Clare Ceballos really had no big obstacles in life, had no real idea what a big obstacle really was. She was born to a great family in a great place and had a wonderful education and opportunities. She had the freedom to safely try and fail and try and succeed. It was not until the day someone told her that her 4-year-old son (Colin) had cancer that she faced a true obstacle. “Something so big and so out of my control coming right at me. It changed me in so many ways but one was having a deeper appreciation for how hard life can be when something big is thrown at you and you have no choice but to fight back. And how your mental state can make such a difference in how that fight goes.”
Clare’s son Colin is who inspires her. “Watching a 4 to 5-year-old face cancer and just take it head on with no fear and no doubts. His courage was immense. It was something special to see. I wish we could all have the innocence of a child when you live something hard but just have no doubt it will all be ok and so quickly forget the pain and move on.”
After Colin was diagnosed with kidney cancer, Clare and her husband, Michael became students of childhood cancer and met many doctors and their broader support teams. Colin underwent six radiation treatments and had six months of chemotherapy and had many scans to assure them that the cancer had not returned. The support and excellence at Nationwide Children’s Hospital was overwhelming and Clare wanted to help others dealing with pediatric cancer. In May 2016, Clare along with family and friends help organized “Colin’s Crew” a walk and fun day to help cure childhood cancer. Friends from all over the US and world donated and over 400 people showed up on the day to celebrate and do the walk. “We raised over $60,000! My goal initially was $5-10 thousand, then $20k, then $30k, and I kept raising the goal but just could not believe it as the money came in. And it was many people giving what they can, we didn’t have big corporate donors, just regular people.” At the end of the event, they were able to give 100% of the money directly to a research fellow at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
A quote from Martin Luther King Jr. is one that Clare thinks about all the time and recently hung up in her house. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” She feels this can encompass every walk of her life in that what she controls is her own reaction. “Adding darkness to something hard or negative will not make it better, the only way through is to find the light and the positive.”
To find out more about Colin’s Crew, please visit his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/CuringChilldhoodCancer/