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Virginia youngsters use competition as break from battle with illnesses
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Jul 25, 2008
When the phone rings at the family's farm or six greenhouses in Broadway, Va., Arlene Reid has come to expect bad news.
It's hard to blame her.
Her son, David, was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder, when he was 3 and underwent chemotherapy for two years.
Not long after David completed those treatments in 2001, his twin brother, George, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had to have 130 weeks of daily chemotherapy treatments.
So when the phone rang on the Saturday in May when the 11-year-old twins were racing in Harrisonburg's local soap box derby, Arlene Reid didn't expect to hear something good.
''They were already late getting back and when I got the call, I immediately thought one of the boys was hurt,'' she said. ''That's just the mom in me.
''When my husband Glenn told me that nobody got hurt and they both had won and were champions going to Akron, I couldn't believe it.
''All the people who were in the greenhouse at the time heard me on the phone and they were cheering and clapping.''
This week, the twins, as well as the rest of the family, are in Akron for the 71st running of the All-American Soap Box Derby. George is racing
Saturday in the stock division and David is competing in super stock.
Video: Driver's-eye view
''It's like a dream that our entire family, including our daughters, Deanna and Caroline, are here,'' Glenn Reid said. '' . . . It's only our second family vacation.''
Getting to Akron took a lot of support.
''We had an idea where Akron was because my late father, Abram Martin, lived in Dalton, and we'd been there once before,'' Arlene Reid said.
''But we had no idea what the All-American Soap Box Derby was all about and how we were going to get there and how we could leave our business and farm.
''Then the entire community pitched in. We can't believe all the support we've gotten.''
The Rockingham Rotary gave each boy $1,000 to help defray expenses. Donations poured into a fund created at the office of the Reids' attorney.
''Donations are still coming in,'' Glenn Reid said. ''The support from our communities around Harrisonburg and Broadway is really amazing. We are so grateful.''
Neighbors are helping out by taking care of the greenhouses, cattle, chickens, horses and pets.
''We have to earn a living to keep paying off the medical bills we've accumulated,'' Arlene Reid said.
The Reids rented a van with a portion of the donations.
''We didn't think we had a vehicle good enough to make the 360-mile trip,'' Arlene Reid said.
The Reid family's venture into derby racing began in 2006, when David competed in the stock division of the local race in Harrisonburg in the Shenandoah Valley of northern Virginia.
''The boys are really close, as most twins are, and David was really worried about George because of the illness,'' Arlene Reid said. ''Racing was a great way for David to get his mind on something else and do something fun with his dad.''
By the next derby season, George was well enough to race also.
''It was a big goal of mine to get better and race,'' George said. ''I really wanted to race in my own car because I saw how much fun it was for my brother.''
In 2007, David finished fifth in the local super stock division and George finished sixth in stock.
Then this year, both captured the local titles. George, racing in stock, won first.
''I was thrilled for George,'' David said, ''but it was nerve-racking for me because I knew I had to win, too.''
David came through in a two-heat final in which the super stock winner was determined by total time.
''It meant a lot more to me that we both won and were going to Akron,'' George said.
Glenn Reid said George finished his final chemotherapy treatment at the University of Virginia's Pediatric Cancer Center four years ago and is close to being out of the woods.
''The doctors tell us that if you get to the fifth anniversary of being off chemo, you've made it,'' Reid said.
George, who is two inches shorter and 10 pounds lighter than his twin, has his cancer in remission.
''Fifteen years ago, George wouldn't have made it this long,'' Arlene Reid said. ''We are very blessed that the advances in medicine have been so great.''
She said the twins have learned a lot about racing in the past couple of years.
''It's so scientific, and we're just a farm family,'' she said. ''But the boys have developed a real knack for racing.''
She also believes they have developed a certain resolve that helps them through tough situations, both on the track and in life.
''The strength of both of the boys is truly unbelievable,'' Arlene Reid said. ''Glenn and I never will have enough respect for the twins for what they have overcome.
''They don't complain, even though they have been through some very tough times. They just deal with it and they've taught us adults a lot about facing adversity.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
When the phone rings at the family's farm or six greenhouses in Broadway, Va., Arlene Reid has come to expect bad news.
Get the full article here.
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