Inside a large inflatable boxing ring, Justin Travis and Alex Waner pummeled each other with oversized boxing gloves. Sweaty and out of breath, the two 17-year-olds took a break and remembered their friend Kyle Blakeman, 15, who died two years ago of a rare form of cancer.
“He never complained the whole time he was sick,” Justin said.
The ThunderRidge High School students were participating in the third annual “Remember, Celebrate, Educate,” a fundraising tribute to Kyle held Saturday at Civic Green Park in Highlands Ranch.
At age 13, Kyle was diagnosed with renal medullary carcinoma, a rare form of kidney cancer linked to sickle cell anemia.
“This (event) keeps everyone involved and keeps the memory of Kyle alive,” Justin said.
For the past two years, the Kyle Blakeman Memorial Fund has raised a combined $18,000 for the Children’s Hospital Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Kyle’s parents, Joanne and Brad Blakeman, knew that their son had carried the sickle cell trait since birth but said they were told by doctors not to worry unless he married someone with sickle cell, because their children would likely get sickle cell anemia.
But when Kyle was 13, he began experiencing back pains, then the nearly 180-pound football lineman lost 14 pounds in 14 days because he couldn’t eat, his mother said.
“I want him to be a face for the type of cancer he had for the sickle cell community,” Joanne Blakeman said. “If he could fight, they can too.”
Kyle was an avid sports fan and wore the number 64 on his football jersey.
He got wide media attention after sharing his favorite number with the Colorado Rockies, who claim it brought them luck when then-manager Clint Hurdle began writing the number on the team’s lineup cards during their drive to the National League championship.
They finished a four-game sweep of the championship series with a 6-4 win, scoring all six runs in the fourth inning.
For a silent auction held during this year’s fundraiser, the Rockies donated an autographed baseball signed by the whole team, an autographed Todd Helton No. 17 jersey, a Louisville slugger bat autographed by Troy Tulowitzki and a poster signed by Brad Hawpe.
“They remember and support him and it’s just awesome,” Brad Blakeman said.
Kyle’s friend Ryan Carroll, who played baseball and football with Kyle while they were freshmen, designed T-shirts and sweat shirts that featured a Superman logo with “KB,” Kyle’s initials, inside.
Ryan said he came up with the idea because he was impressed with the strength Kyle had shown while battling cancer.
“He was our super hero. I will miss his smile, definitely, his smile,” Ryan said.
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
