On Sept. 25, 2012, Davey Kock, a resident of Westside who was best known as the coach who led the Ar-We-Va girls’ basketball team to the state tournament for two years in a row, passed away from a rare disease. A fundraiser is being held in his honor, and that of two women, Lisa Neufeld and Sarah Thompson, who both hailed from Crawford County and died from the same disease. Davey’s widow, Janine, explains exactly what CJD is.
She says it may be easier to grasp the statistic that one in every 10,000 deaths is caused by CJD. Kock says the different forms are classified as prion diseases, in which the normal proteins in the brain start mis-folding, basically turning it into a sponge. There are different types of CJD, 85 percent are sporadic and the rest genetic, variant or iatrogenic. The three individuals that these fundraisers are held in memory of are not the only Crawford County residents to have been affected by CJD. Kock says that Crawford County, west central Iowa really, is actually a hotbed of CJD activity with three other recent deaths attributed to the disease. Earlier this month, there was a country-wide fundraising initiative, but Kock says they loved the Halloween theme they have used in the past and decided to stick with that for their event this coming Saturday, Oct.28. The day will start at 10 a.m. with a run or walk.
Cost is $25 to participate, and this includes a t-shirt. Those registered prior to Tuesday, Oct. 24 will receive their t-shirt on Saturday. Those registering later will get their t-shirt after the event. Kock says they will have a Light Fright walk for kids two to 12 year’s old with different activities at a variety of stops. That is $10 per child, and each will receive treats, prizes, lunch and entries into raffle prize drawings. There will also be a silent auction and raffle prizes available for all. One of the most coveted items in the silent auction comes from a local celebrity.
All of the proceeds raised will be going to the CJD Foundation for helping with research to find a cure. Kock says their goal is to raise $10,000 for a research grant in Davey’s name and a $10,000 one in Lisa and Sharon’s names. This is a lofty goal, Kock says, but two years ago they raised about $15,000 and they will still be accepting donations well past the actual event. There is also a Friendraiser online where people anywhere in the world can make donations specifically in these people’s names. Kock says the one take away from this event is how these tragic deaths help bring people together. She says the back of their t-shirts read, “Alone we are rare, together we are strong,” and it is a reminder that nobody is dealing with this disease on their own. Links to the event’s Facebook page and to the CJD Friendraiser site can be found here.
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Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/events/120876348623767/
CJD Foundation Friendraiser site: www.cjdfoundation.org and click on the button to the right
Scenes from prior events:
