In late June, The Watercraft Journal let you know about the Van Beek’s Flip For Emerson GoPro Weekend – a couple of days of great freeride action scheduled for July 11-13th at Van Beek’s Landing, Hanford, CA. But it wasn’t about the backflips, can-cans or underflips that drew people in from several states away. We managed to talk with freerider Pete McAfee who let us know the very touching story behind this honorable and worthwhile event:
He explained: “This little angel is Emerson Meredith. Her father Josh and I were good buds growing up and roommates for about three years after high school. Last year, on June 17, Josh’s wife, Samantha took Emerson to the pediatrician because she had bruises that wouldn’t go away, a 101 fever that kept popping up every few days, a stomach ache and she was looking pale and tired.
“They ran some blood work and an hour later they got the call that made their world stop turning, ‘I need you to come back to the office. She has leukemia.’ Twelve hours later they where in Fort Worth, TX meeting with an oncologist. It was midnight. They started blood transfusions immediately because 85% of her blood cells were blasts (cancer). The next day Emerson went into surgery to have her portacath put in and chemo started immediately after. Their new normal had begun.
“It has been one year since that day. One year of procedures, illness, lumbar punctures, holding down their baby while poison is pumped into her. One year of being more blessed and more grateful than ever before! One year of love and support from friends, family and total strangers!”
While sponsors were reached to help donate to their surmounting medical costs, it was the riders who helped by coming out in droves, purchasing t-shirts and giving of their money, time and talents. Below you’ll see a great video from the mid-July weekend.
