He is mourning this week, and, unfortunately, Pk Jebbia mourns fairly often.
Jebbia lost one of his “Warrior Angels” Tuesday. Keegan passed away in Oregon at the age of 17 after being diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a bone cancer that often begins in a person’s legs and progresses from there.
“Keegan was one of the children I have honored during the events I’ve participated in by showing the spectators his photograph,” he explained. “I can talk about pediatric cancer all day long, but what I have found is when I put a face to the disease, it gets more personal to people.
“Childhood cancer is a topic not a lot of people want to discuss because, far too often, the story ends sometimes like it did for Keegan. People usually don’t get involved unless someone in the family is affected,” he said. “That’s how it happened with me, and the more I looked into it, the more concerned I’ve become because of the lack of funding that’s involved.”
The Hashtags
Jebbia utilizes social media to spread his message concerning his Warrior Angels who are batting against a number of different childhood cancers, and often he includes #NoOneFightsAlone at the end of his messages.
“I just can’t imagine how lonely these children feel during their fights,” he said. “But I want them to know that even though I am not physically with them, they are on my mind, and I am praying for them all of the time. That’s why I put that hashtag on almost everything I posted on Facebook.”
Jebbia competes in multiple endurance events each year, and at times he does injure himself. For example, following the Conquer The Wall Endurance Challenge in Williamson, W.Va., he had to heal from a deep bruise to his right foot.
“If me competing in those events gives these children hope, it’s all worth it,” he said. “The events I enter are never easy, and sure, sometimes I do get hurt, but I heal. That’s what I want for these children, and I’m not going to stop until my message is heard by the people who need to hear it the most.”
The Nation’s Capital
The Great Allegheny Passage merges with the C&O Canal Towpath in Cumberland, Md., to create a 335-mile trail from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Washington, D.C.
Both paths are free of any motorized traffic and are maintained by communities along the way, and Jebbia just may soon utilize the pathway for a special delivery in the nation’s capital.
“It’s our federal lawmakers who can make a difference, but right now, with the amount of funding they supply, they are part of the problem because it’s such a small amount,” he said. “If I can get the attention of the people who represent West Virginia, they could help me get the attention of the rest of them. If that were to happen, then maybe they all could learn about what’s needed the most.
“That’s why I have been thinking about making it a marathon each day until I get to Washington, D.C., and if I do that, maybe I could get some media attention that the lawmakers would see,” he said. “I would contact Sen. (Joe) Manchin’s office and Sen. (Shelly) Moore-Capito’s office before I left, and if it’s a marathon per day, it would take about two weeks.”
And then?
“I’ll tell them what they need to hear so these families can get the help they need, and so these children have a better chance to win their fight,” he said. “It’s all about the funding, and if the lawmakers can increase that, much more research could be conducted to discover better treatments.
“I have met Hines Rotriga, and he is a terrific young man, and he’s been very well for a few years now after some very difficult years,” he added. “It doesn‘t always work that way, though, but I think it can if our lawmakers fight for these kids and their families. That’s what needs to happen, and I plan on doing everything I can to make it happen.”
