Anthony Falabella was just 4 years old in 2009 when his 9-year-old sister Lexie died from complications associated with a brain tumor. There was nothing he could do to help his big sister, of course. But Anthony, who is now 10, realized there was something he could do help others facing similar illnesses: He could run.
Together with seven other children, Anthony completed the Ocean to Sound Relay on Sunday, September 27, a 50-mile relay across the width of Long Island, New York. Theirs was one of six teams, Lexie’s Legs, running for the Lexiebean Foundation. The kids raised $2,600; the teams combined raised more than $16,000.
“All I thought was that Lexie would be proud of me running the race,” said Anthony, who ran the first six miles of the relay. “It was hard, but I was thinking, 'keep going, you have to do this, you’re almost there.'”
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The Lexiebean Foundation, established in 2010 by Joseph and LeaAnn Falabella in their daughter’s memory, provides financial support to the families of children undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer. Additionally, the foundation gives personalized gift baskets to the patients and their siblings.
This was the first time that an all-children team competed in the Ocean to Sound Relay, according to Linda Ottaviano of Greater Long Island Running Club, the event’s sponsor. The kids finished in seven hours and 26 minutes with an average pace of 9:02 minutes per mile. With ages ranging from nine to 13, they ran eight legs of flat highways, rolling hills and steep inclines. For some of the runners, like Anthony, this was their first race.
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Tyler Sparke, 11, and his sister Devyn, nine, had a personal motivation to run; their younger cousin Morgan is battling brain cancer. Tyler ran the eighth leg, one of the toughest, at a 7:44 pace. “I felt really good,” Tyler said. “I was doing something I love, and I was happy because I raised money for kids with cancer.”
A runner since she was 8 years of age, 12-year-old Samantha McManus competes for her middle school track team and loves to run 5Ks. This was her first relay experience, and she tackled 6.3 miles of hills. “My calves were bothering me but other than that, I was pretty good,” Samantha said. “I liked going in the support vehicle and cheering on the rest of the team.”
Along the course, the children were greeted with encouragement and some looks of surprise as they flew past their adult competitors. Mostly they heard cheers and praise as they powered through.
Anthony’s father, Joe Falabella, drove the support vehicle for the children’s team. “I probably cried three or four times during the day,” he says. “To see these kids running and not giving up... they worked so hard.”
Falabella recalls that when Lexie was undergoing treatment, there were times when money was tight and the stress of paying the mortgage, car payments and hospital bills was overwhelming. He and his wife founded the Lexiebean Foundation to help alleviate some of those worries so parents can focus on their sick children. The foundation is also one way the Falabellas continue to honor their daughter.
“I wish she was still here to spread her magic," Falabella said. "But since she’s not, we’re going keep her spirit and energy alive."
