Let's make the final Histio Heroes the best

The community of Royal City will celebrate the third and final Histio Heroes Bike-a-Walk-a-thon this Saturday at the Royal Schools campus.

That word "final" may discourage some people from participating, but don't let that happen to you. The cause - the saving of children's lives - is still the same.

In the two years that Histio Heroes has been held in honor of Royal City histiocytosis victim Jackson Noftle, the community has raised more than $70,000 for research. It could push the final total to more than $100,000.

I met Jackson briefly at last year's Histio Heroes. I got to know him better recently when I interviewed him for a story that appears in this week's TV section.

I thought Jackson had been sick from the time he was four until now. I was mistaken. He had several normal years after that first round of chemotherapy.

Jackson ran and played and was a top student. He was also the starting quarterback on his sixth grade Grid Kids football team.

"Normal" left Jackson's life the day he started seventh grade. He was struck by a level of histiocytosis so rare that only 1-2 percent of histiocytosis victims acquire it.

Jackson was one of the older victims of this higher condition of histiocytosis. The doctors asked him if he would help raise funds for research by becoming the face of histiocytosis. He agreed.

The effort has been successful, but it has taken a toll emotionally. Today Jackson believes his life is all about histiocytosis and that there is nothing normal to enjoy. It is difficult for him to speak about his situation without tearing up and making you cry too.

In April, when Jackson told his doctor in Houston, Texas he wanted to have a normal senior year, the doctor agreed. He said Jackson could go this year without chemotherapy and turn out for football.

Jackson cried tears of joy.

There was a catch, however. If anything went wrong, Jackson needed to let the doctor know, and he might have to go back on chemotherapy. But for the time being, normal was the word.

In keeping with that, Jackson asked his parents, Mike and Becky, to make this the last Histio Heroes. They agreed, but Becky says they may pick up the fundraising effort in the future in some other way.

The Noftles know the fight is not over for Jackson or the other children with Histiocytosis.

It sure would be nice to have the most productive Histio Heroes ever this Saturday.