CLYDE, Ohio — Childhood cancer impacts thousands of families every year, something the Brown family knows all too well.
Alexa Brown passed away from a cancerous brain tumor she developed when she was just eight years old. Following her death, her family created a foundation in her honor to help raise money for childhood cancer research.
Over the past few years, the Brown family has hosted multiple 5K races and other events to raise money for various childhood cancer research outlets.
Their annual Alexa Brown 5K is happening on Saturday. They're hoping participants understand how important raising money for this cause is.
"The numbers for adults outweigh the numbers for children. And thus, research dollars and the dedication of research dollars I believe is reduced because there aren't as many kids that develop cancer as there are adults," said Warren Brown, Alexa's father.
According to the National Center for Pediatric Cancer, only about 4 percent of government money for cancer research goes toward childhood cancer specifically. The Brown family hopes this type of research will become more of a priority among medical professionals.
"This is one way to memorialize her life, to give back to the community of children who are need to find a cure for childhood cancer," said Warren Brown.
Every year the Brown family picks a new childhood cancer research foundation to donate to, this year being Nationwide Children's. For more information on the race, click here.
More local headlines from WTOL 11