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Color run benefits Madison Handley and family

Community comes together to support Lewes teen diagnosed with cancer for a second time
Runners in the Madison Handley Color Run at Cape Henlopen High School break through an explosion of green as they head toward the finish line of the May 7 benefit race. Donations of $20,000 from the event will benefit the family and Madison, who is being treated for pediatric cancer. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS
Ron MacArthur
May 11, 2023

Some 370 runners and walkers turned out May 7 for the Madison Handley Color Run to benefit the 13-year-old pediatric cancer patient and her family who have been fighting against the disease since she turned 2 years old.

The participants and sponsors donated $20,000 to help the family with expenses, said organizer Lauren James, who headed the event for the Lewes Elementary PTO.

“It’s inspiring that we have such a caring community,” she said, adding their totals far surpassed a goal of 100 runners and $10,000. James said more donations are coming in, which could push the total to $25,000.

Madison attended with her brother Braxton, a Lewes Elementary fifth-grader, and her mother and father, Erin and Bob, to support the run by working a purple color station. Runners and walkers went around a course on the Cape Henlopen High School athletic complex and were blasted with pink, blue, green, yellow and purple cornstarch.

Madison was first diagnosed with retinoblastoma, eye cancer, the day after her second birthday. She endured six months of chemotherapy and recovered, but ended up losing one eye at the age of 3. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the right femur just as she started seventh grade at Beacon Middle School this past fall. Her mother is a kindergarten teacher at Lewes Elementary, while her grandmother, Sue Hall, retired after a long career at the former Shields Elementary School.

 

Madison Handley throws purple-colored cornstarch into the air before runners reach her.
Members of the Handley family are (l-r) Braxton, Erin, Madison and Bob. They volunteered by manning a color station during the benefit run.
A yellow haze sends runners and walkers off at the start of the Madison Handly Color Run May 7 at Cape Henlopen High School.
Covered from head to toe in colored cornstarch are (l-r) Isle and Lily Touw and Zoey Neufeld. They are all students at Beacon Middle School
Sean O’Grady of Georgetown says he will stick his head out the window when he drives home to clean off his colorful face.
This young runner, dressed in a mask, seems to be emerging from a green cloud as he is coated with color.
The Musin family of Lewes turns out to support Madison. They are (l-r) Martin and Veronika and, in front, Michael and Nickolas.
So what do you do when you are waiting for the run to start? Why not hang out on a nearby goal post?
Videographer Rob Waters is nearly enveloped in a cloud of yellow color as he records the start of the race.
Plenty of volunteers are on hand to make sure runners and walkers get a splash of purple color.
Runners and volunteers use some leftover cornstarch to cover themselves in pink.

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