Daniel Island's Gaia Fit takes steps to prevent childhood cancers

One of the missions of Gaia Fit on Daniel Island is to teach others how they can serve themselves through serving others. So when Gaia Fit participant Elizabeth Whirrett reached out to the program’s founder, Mary Patterson, about supporting National Childhood Cancer Prevention Month in September through the Rally Foundation, Patterson was all in.

“My first thought was – YES!” wrote Patterson in an email to The Daniel Island News. “…We are always doing some sort of service project or fundraiser at any given time. And to have a member of our awesome Gaia Fit tribe come to me made my heart so happy!”

“The Rally Foundation is trying to get on the preventative side of childhood cancer and really that is what we are all about,” continued Patterson, “helping others establish lifestyle habits to build a strong foundation and prevent long term illness as much as we possibly can.”

According to the Rally Foundation, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer daily. The alarming statistics surrounding the disease struck a chord with Patterson and Whirrett.

“Many of us are mothers and it really breaks my heart to see the staggering statistics of how many children are diagnosed with cancer every school day,” noted Patterson. “Why is this happening at such a young age? It really pulls at your heart.”

“My husband and I are both physicians,” added Whirrett. “…I got to work in oncology with a pediatric oncologist. It was such an amazing experience…We got to hear their stories and meet their families. It’s devastating to think about losing a child and what you would do in that situation. That was the biggest push for me.”

Recognizing the “46 a day” statistic, the Rally Foundation encourages people to commit to completing 46 miles of running, walking, biking, swimming or other fitness-related activity throughout the month of September. Gaia Fit rose to the challenge - and then some!

“We set up a series of events that in the end had us completing 46 miles,” said Patterson. “With Hurricane Florence hitting us, one of our events ended up in October. However, we committed to completing 46 miles and we did!”

Their events included a sunrise Ravenel Bridge walk, sunset beach walk, happy hour walk from Dockery’s, a “Daniel Island bike before boot camp,” the 9/11 Heroes Run and a hike. They also made t-shirts that read “Rally with Gaia Fit” to wear during their activities. Additionally, Gaia Fit team members participated in the Daniel Island Red Balloon Sale, selling items and hosting a bake sale to raise money for the cause. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to the Rally Foundation. To date, they have generated $3200, with a goal to reach $5000 by the end of October. Patterson has been blown away by the response to their efforts thus far.

“People are amazing,” she said. “If you give them ways to help or raise awareness, they will step up.”

Gaia Fit is still collecting donations at their Rally Foundation fundraising page. If you’d like to support their campaign, visit https://fundraise.rallyfoundation.org/team/179862. Patterson stressed that all donations, no matter the size, can make a difference. Others can donate their time to volunteer, host bake sales, or even help spread awareness.

“There are many amazing non-profits and causes out there that need us and we can all help in some way,” added Patterson. “Every small act makes a big difference. Sometimes we have to think small to make big changes.”