LEWISTON – College student Kevin MacDonald will participate in the 22nd annual Walk for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program on Saturday, Sept. 27. He is a cancer survivor, having suffered and survived childhood leukemia.

The 3-mile walk will step off at 9 a.m. at Shaw’s Plaza on East Avenue; registration begins at 8 a.m. and there will be activities available until the start of the walk.

MacDonald was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 1990, when he was 2 years old. His mother, Kathy MacDonald, said, “It’s amazing how much pain, fear, despair and disruption of ‘normalcy’ this disease brings to every member of the family.”

“Our family, and all families affected by cancer,” Kathy MacDonald said, “would undoubtedly agree that the course of their lives was permanently altered. At some point we realized that the world does not slow down or stop during a family crisis. We needed to find the courage and strength to move forward and find the ‘normal’ again.”

They did that by building a home, having a third child and maintaining jobs during Kevin’s treatment and recovery.

Kevin MacDonald, now 20 and a sophomore at Alfred University in New York, is cancer free. He is studying psychology and hopes to work with children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, bringing his own experiences to that work.

The Maine Children’s Cancer Program diagnoses approximately 45 children with cancer each year. Of those, 12 to 15 children suffer relapse and require additional treatment. The program has treated more than 1,500 patients since it was established, including 150 children currently in treatment.

Contributions to MCCP, which includes donations made at the Sept. 27 walk, are used for research, gas cards for families who travel to appointments, phone cards for children to stay in touch with their families, and necessities like wheelchair ramps and other items that may not be covered by insurance. No child is denied treatment by MCCP, regardless of insurance coverage.

Families who are receiving or have completed treatment are encouraged to join the Sept. 27 walk, as are volunteers who want to help organize and conduct the event. Local businesses and school clubs are challenged to form teams to participate.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Kathy MacDonald at [email protected] or 784-2146. Or, go to www.mmc.org/mccp.