HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- For the 16th year in a row, a community is coming together Super Bowl weekend to help pediatric cancer patients.
Ber's Bowl, a 'group exercise -a-thon' and fundraiser was started in 2008 to help then four-year-old Ber Vandermeer and his family cover treatment and travel costs after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Doctors told his family just days before his 4th birthday he had Stage 4 neuroblastoma.
His mother Amber Vandermeer said the diagnosis came as a shock.
"He had been having some leg aches. We went to the doctor, they suspected it was probably growing pains," she said. "Within the week, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma."
She said Ber started treatment shortly after being diagnosed. "He did chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy treatment," Amber said. "I mean we had to throw the book at it. It's just a terrible beast that hides very well in their the bodies."
It was a difficult journey that lasted for 8 years. "It was a long process, we just wanted to make sure we took every step we could to stop that relapse from happening," she said.
It's an effort Amber said wouldn't have been possible without the help of her second family. While working as a group trainer at ACAC in 2008, Amber’s coworkers started Ber's Bowl. "Traveling back and forth and the medical costs were extremely high so the team here decided to have what we would think of as a group exercise-a-thon," she said.
The bowl lasts the entire weekend and includes group exercise classes, a chili cook-off, silent auction and more.
Proceeds from the bowl go to Cookies for Kids Cancer to help fund less toxic treatments for pediatric cancer.
"I keep up with so many families who they’ve had the anniversary of the death of their child, or their heavenly birthday and it bring you right back to why we want to continue to do this," said Amber.
"Every time we send a check it just feels so good knowing that could be the one thing that saves that next child when the family has been told, we’re running out of options and this just gives another path to go down."
Ber, who is now a freshman in college, will be coming back home for this year's bowl from February 9 to February 11.
It is open to the public and happening at the ACAC Midlothian on Robious Road and at the ACAC in Short Pump.
You can find the full schedule on the ACAC Midlothian website.
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