13-year-old boy with rare cancer walks equivalent of marathon inside Cook Children’s
Joey Belles, a 13-year-old with a rare cancer inside of his head, considers the sloth his spirit animal, according to a news release from Cook Children’s Medical Center. His mother said in the article he likes to move at his own pace.
That’s what he’s been doing, day after day, for the past several months.
Belles was diagnosed with pineoblastoma in June 2019 when doctors discovered a tumor was growing inside his head and spinal fluid was leaking into his brain. After the tumor was removed and he began proton radiation therapy, a physical therapist stressed the importance of walking around the hospital, and he took the message to heart.
The initial goal was to walk 10 miles over the course of several visits, which would earn him a gift card, according to the release.
But he kept walking each day, sometimes more than 30 laps at a time, and easily blew past 10 miles.
On Feb. 20, he became the first patient at Cook’s to ever complete the equivalent of a marathon, 26 miles. Staff stood along the walls, cheering and holding up signs bearing messages of encouragement.
“It was awesome,” Belles said in the release. “I could have never done it without my family, the whole team we have. Everyone has been so supportive of me. It’s just truly amazing what we have done, me and my parents.”
It all started with Belles’ introduction to the Cook program “Miles in Motion,” which encourages hematology and oncology patients to walk and log their miles as a way of gaining back strength.
Because cancer patients can have varying blood counts, resistance exercise can be too strenuous, according to the release. But walking is always recommended.
The radiation and stem cell therapies Belles had to endure was “really hard on his body,” leaving him weak, his mother said in the release. Belles slowly began his walking regimen, only completing a couple of laps at a time, but began walking farther with each new day.
The feat of completing a marathon seemed impossible even to medical staff. Haleigh Schreck, one of Belles’ physical therapists, said in the release he “blew all of our expectations out of the water” and did it with a positive attitude.
The day he completed the marathon, Feb. 20, was also his last day taking chemotherapy.
“In the beginning, I really thought this was going to be devastating,” Belles said in the release. “But everyone has been helping me and pushing me. With them, I knew I could get through this and do it with power.”
