KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than five thousand runners joined forces to raise money for brain cancer research. Head for the Cure started in Kansas City in 2003 and has now grown to 16 cities from New York to Seattle.
The organization is expected to raise more than $1.5 million this year alone.
Team Little Owl had the most runners on the course with a record 325 participants.
They run in memory of Allie Fisher who died of brain cancer in 2013 at the age of 3. Allie loved owls and was a bit of a night owl, so the name fit perfectly.
The race is part of her legacy and brings healing for her loved ones.
Amanda and Parker Monhollon were at the race. Parker was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a disease that causes highly aggressive and difficult to treat brain tumors.
Her battle against the disease has taken the family all the way to Germany for immunotherapy, but has also brought some exciting and inspiring highlights along the way, like when Parker got to meet rap star Eminem.
Her fight against DIPG has revealed some of the shortcomings of treatment options for patients, both in terms of what is available in the United States and also where the research and overall knowledge of the disease is lacking.
That is why Parker and so many others came out for Head for the Cure.
Watch both interviews here: http://fox4kc.com/2016/08/28/head-for-the-cure-makes-its-way-to-kansas-city/