Lemons to lemonade: Community supports Relay for Life

Two years ago, Trey Hohenstreiter rode his power Jeep during the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

Last year, he got to do a little bit of walking and running.

This year, he's ready to run - and so are his teammates.

So how many laps is Trey going to run this year?

"One hundred," he said, at first, then changed it to two before finally saying, "seven," since he will turn 7 on Oct. 25.

Initially, some people didn't know if he could do it.

On Jan. 6, 2006, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since then, his mother, Kathy, said he's had 23 spinal taps, 66 bone marrow aspirations, 12 to 13 blood transfusions, five platelet transfusions and 11 sets of chemo shots in his leg.

Through all of that, Kathy said, Trey has been strong.

"The first year was probably the toughest. It's a three-and-a-half-year process," she said.
But now, he is a lively 6-year-old. "He doesn't look like your typical cancer patient," his mother said.

Since Kathy learned of her son's diagnosis, she's been a part of the Relay for Life. For the third year, Trey's Team, wearing their orange T-shirts with "Trey's Team" on the front and "Pray for Trey" on the back, will participate in the Relay for Life, scheduled May 16-17, at Seymour High School's Bulleit Stadium.

Each team does fundraising activities to benefit ACS. Trey's Team had a pancake breakfast at Applebee's earlier this year, and on Saturday, they set up lemonade stands at George's of Seymour, Jay C Food Store and Wal-Mart Supercenter to offer lemonade and baked goods to the public. The public, in turn, could make a freewill donation to the team.

The team's goal this year is $5,000, and organizers of Relay for Life in Jackson County have set a goal for its 35 teams to raise $90,000.

Each year, Trey's Team has had a theme. Last year, it was "Kicking the Leuk." Kathy asked Trey, "Where are you kicking the leuk to?" He said, "To the sun, and it's going to burn up."

This year, the theme is "Trey was served lemons. Now, he's serving lemonade."

For Kathy, Relay is twofold.

"You've got to find the positives from this experience," she said. "Hopefully, we can raise funds to find cures. You can dwell on the negatives, but it doesn't do any good. The lemonade stand was a way to make kids aware and to raise funds."

And second, she said, "We are so blessed to be supported that I want to give back, too."

Kathy said Trey has been "amazing," despite everything he has gone through. During his first year of diagnosis, Kathy said, there were weekly trips to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Now, it's oral chemo daily, and to Riley once a month for chemo in his chest port and quarterly for spinal taps. He also takes steroids five days a month.

"We'll do the same cycle for the next 11 to 12 months," Kathy said. "He has not had most of the side effects he could have had. The biggest side effect he's had is less energy, mostly because of the chemo he gets. But I've never heard him complain. He's never questioned why. We go to Riley and he understands that's part of it. That's his life, and he doesn't know any different."

The family, however, is looking forward to May 1, 2009, as Trey is scheduled to end chemo. For a year after that, he will visit Riley monthly, then quarterly the second year, every six months the third year and then yearly after that, Kathy said. He will do that until he's 18.

For his type of leukemia, Kathy said, "It has an 80 to 90 percent cure rate. To us, that's good, but that's still 20 percent of them that don't make it."

That's her purpose of continuing to support Relay for Life.

"I have woken up every day saying, ‘just give me the strength to get me through the day,'" Kathy said.

Family and faith have kept her going. She said her husband, Dwayne, and other son, Trent, 8, have all grown closer.

"My faith has gotten a lot stronger," she said, "because I feel like without God, we wouldn't be where we are."

The many families who have joined the team's efforts have also made a difference to the Hohenstreiters.

"I'm thankful in Seymour, Indiana, that we can have that kind of support," she said. "We learned quickly to be a family, and we wanted to make this a family-oriented thing. Not only is Trey fighting this battle, but our whole family is fighting the battle."

Kathy said she is planning an "All Better Party" for June 2009.

"Our family wants to pay back for the prayers, for the support and for everything," she said. "We've received so much. Thank you doesn't seem like enough, but that's the best that I have."

Lee Ann Friend and her daughters, Riley, 12, and Delaney, 9, are among those on Trey's Team.

"Kathy and I have been good friends for many years, since grade school," Lee Ann said. "Kathy is so inspirational. She talks about her faith and how she's gotten through it all."
A few years ago, Kathy had a hair-cutting party for Trey and Lee Ann buzzed Trey's hair. It was around the time of football season, and some Seymour High School football players were there, and they buzzed their hair, too.

"It was neat to see even kids express their thoughtfulness," Lee Ann said. "I think just seeing how Trey is getting through all of this at his age is just a blessing. To see a little kid go through that, the least we could do is give back. It's humbling to see a little kid go through the treatments, and he has to miss school a lot."

Riley was among the kids who got to paint the lemonade stand.

"It's just really great to help Trey because he's so young and he has to go through this," she said. "It's really fun helping out, and it's just really good to help because you can raise money."

Madie Sciarra, 12, also helped out. "We just want to help out Trey because he's been really strong. It feels really great to be a part of it because you know you're helping someone."

As the Relay approaches, Kathy said, it's still emotional for her to see her son among the people walking in the Survivor's Walk. But seeing Trey's Team together is a comfort.

"To me, when people do the Relay and they see the orange shirts, everybody knows it's Trey's Team," she said. "It's a sea of orange, and it's a neat thing."

Besides their teammates, the Hohenstreiters have had someone else on their side all along.

"Who has helped us get through this?" Kathy asked Trey.
 

"Jesus," he answered.

About Trey
- To read more about Trey Hohenstreiter, go on the Web to caringbridge.org/visit/treybug

About Relay for Life
- The American Cancer Society Relay for Life begins at 6 p.m. May 16 and runs through the closing ceremony at 1 p.m. May 17 at Seymour High School's Bulleit Stadium.