It’s been less than two years since Clarksville teenager Anthony Hill lost his battle with lymphoma. Hill’s family and circle of close friends had worked tirelessly to find a bone marrow transplant match for Anthony by holding marrow drives and other fundraising events in Bethlehem.
The first ever Run for Life Poker Run was held in Anthony’s honor last year, and a second is scheduled for Sept. 8. The event features vehicles of all types winding along a route that starts and ends at the Eastern New York Laborer’s Training Center on Wemple Road in Glenmont.
More than 100 people attended last years’ Run for Life, and organizers said they expect a larger turnout this year as the drive will wind through the scenic Catskill Mountains and back.
‘You can go at your own pace, said Jesse Turner, who along with Ella Ruff is an event organizer.
Motorcycles, classic cars, are among the vehicles that take part. Activities at the Wemple Road site include music from the band Playing with Fire, along with food and refreshments and a chance to win a 2006 Harley V-Rod motorcycle.
People can also register to enter into the National Marrow Donor Program.
Ruff became close with Anthony Hill and his family when they would stop into Ella’s Mr. Subb Sandwich shop, now CynderElla’s Subs, at the Delmar Four Corners.
He would always order a ham and turkey with cheese,` said Ruff who then became aware of what Anthony and the family were going through with his disease.
`Ella stepped right forward I can’t tell you how many times,` said Dorothy Rhone, Anthony’s grandmother.
Ruff, along with family and friends, organized what is now known as the largest single bone marrow drive in the state back in February of 2005.
`Over 500 people registered,` said Ruff, recalling how cold it was that day and how people patiently waited in line, sometimes for hours, to be a part of the National Marrow Donor Program.
`You know what was unbelievable is that I would look out and I didn’t know any of these people,` said Jackie Hill, Anthony’s mom.
Members of the New York Giants who spend August in training at the University at Albany also became familiar with Anthony and the family.
`Eli Manning signed an autographed shirt and would telephone Anthony regularly to see how he was doing,` said Ruff.
A bone marrow match was ultimately found for Anthony out of millions, and when the Hill family was contacted by the registry, their hopes were high, only to find the donor withdrew from the registry a day or so later.
`We were upset, but Anthony didn’t feel that way,` Hill said.
Ruff said the Run for Life event is a chance to register with the National Marrow Foundation and added that people should not sign up unless they are serious about it.
`We don’t want anyone to be tested unless they want to,` said Ruff recalling the disappointment everyone felt when Anthony’s match dropped out of the program. There are currently two people in the Albany area in need of a bone marrow transplant. Proceeds from the event will go to the people who are waiting for a match.
Turner said the students at Berne Knox school that Anthony attended called him Superman. They also made wristbands at the school in Anthony’s honor with his name inscribed on one side and the words `live fearless` on the other side.
`He always had a big smile on his face,` said Turner.
Added Rhone, `He never saw the negative and could always find something good in anything.`
For more information on Run for Life or the National Bone Marrow Foundation contact Jesse Turner at 439-9904 or Ella Ruff at 225-6980. Donation for the event is $30, with $10 for each additional rider.
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