Benjamin's Bone Marrow Blitz

Register to run or walk in Benjamin's Bone Marrow Blitz, a 10K, 5K and 1-mile option make the event accessible to all ages and fitness levels. The 1-mile fun run will begin at 8 a.m. followed by a combined start for the 10K/5K at 8:30 a.m. All proceeds from the Blitz will benefit childhood cancer research at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. 
 
In September 2022, Benjamin Bobo was born with a severe form of blood cancer – congenital acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This diagnosis occurs in approximately one in five million people. At just 5 weeks old, Benjamin was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham where he endured five rounds of aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Each round of treatment required him to be inpatient for over 30 days. After over 170 days in the hospital, he was finally discharged in May 2023. 
 
“Benjamin is blessed to be in remission, but not every child battling leukemia is as lucky,” said Cat Bobo, Benjamin’s mother and race director. “In fact, most of the other children we met needed a bone marrow transplant in addition to chemotherapy. And should Benjamin ever relapse, he would also need a bone marrow transplant.”
 
Benjamin’s experience shed light on many needs in the pediatric oncology/hematology world. Firstly, there is a need for more bone marrow donors – especially for minority and mixed races. Be the Match will be on-site at the Blitz so participants can join the bone marrow donor registry by simply answering a few questions and conducting a quick cheek swab. Secondly, childhood cancer research is consistently underfunded. Each day, 47 children are diagnosed with cancer in the United States, which means more than 17,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed each year. 
 
“We hope that Benjamin’s Blitz will raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donors, and all proceeds of the event will benefit pediatric cancer research at Children’s Hospital right here in Alabama,” said Bobo.

​For more information, or to become a sponsor, contact Cat Bobo.