2-year-old to be Relay’s honorary head of event

COLUMBUS -- When first-time parents Chad and Brenda Preister welcomed their daughter, Charli, into their lives they were eager to watch her grow.

They anticipated enjoying “the carefree life parents get with their first child,” Brenda said ... in seeing Charli reach milestones like taking her first step.

Although Charli is now a typical child who is nearly 2, her young life has been anything but typical. And instead of being able to savor parenthood they way they thought they would, the Columbus couple’s lives were thrown a curve ball.

In March 2007, their daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that most commonly occurs in children under 5. When she was diagnosed, the tumor had spread from her abdomen and wrapped around her spine and into her spinal canal.

Surgery was risky because of the location of the tumor on her spine, so Charli was treated with chemotherapy. She went through several rounds of treatment and the tumor shrunk considerably.

Charli is now considered to be NED, or having no evidence of disease. The tumor, while smaller than it was before, is still present, but not active.

While their journey is far from over as the cancer could reactivate, the family is taking its hardship and turning it into a mission to spread awareness about cancer.

They will have their chance to reach hundreds of people at the annual American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, scheduled for June 27-28 at Pawnee Park’s Memorial Stadium in Columbus.

Charli has been selected the event’s honorary head. Brenda will be speaking on her behalf before the event kicks-off with its first lap around the track at Pawnee Park’s Memorial Stadium.

The Preisters will have a team of walkers and a booth at Relay for Life. They will have information there for people about childhood cancer.

Brenda said instead of making Charli’s battle against cancer a private matter, she and her husband feel the need to tell as many people as they can about it. They want to share Charli’s story because it will help raise awareness and also help other parents who are going through the same ordeal.

“The main reason why we do this is because every time I tell someone new about Charli’s story you can tell in their faces that they never knew something like this could happen,” Brenda said.

She said people need to realize that cancer can and does happen to anyone, and sometimes there is no reason it does.

“It could easily be someone else’s child besides mine. It wasn’t because of anything that she ate or drank, we just got the short end of the stick. It could be your next child, your grandchild. They (the children) can’t speak for themselves, they need adults to do that for them,” she said.

For parents who may be facing what the Preisters have, Brenda said it is important to keep hope alive, take each day as it comes and surround yourself with a support system that includes friends, family and others who are in or have been in the same situation. It is those people who can truly understand what you are going through.

Although they might not be living the life they anticipated, the Preisters have been enjoying their daughter and all of those firsts they hoped to see. Charli, her mom said, is a riot, has a very particular personality, likes to play outside and is always full of hugs and kisses.

Brenda has an optimistic outlook for her daughter and hopes that Charli will continue to reach milestones.

“I hope her future is just like any kid, that she doesn’t have to look back and think it was hindered. I don’t want her to be scared of it (cancer). She already lived through the worst of it, I hope.”