As an athlete, Blake LaForce is accustomed to competition. He's a football player for the Aviators and a power-lifter who has competed in state competitions. Now, he's competing with one of his toughest opponents: leukemia. On November 6, 2007, LaForce was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL causes malignant white blood cells to overproduce in bone marrow. Once normal cells in the bone marrow have been crowded out by malignant ones, the disease metastasizes and corrupts other organs. Since his diagnosis, Blake and his family have been working to procure a compatible bone marrow donor.
"It's a rough road," said Mark LaForce, Blake's father. "It's curable. That's the good news."
85 percent of children treated for ALL are cured and roughly half of adults treated enjoy long-term cancer-free lives. The challenge arises with finding a compatible bone marrow donor. Blake's mother hails from a mixed ethnic heritage. She has both Dutch and Indonesian genes.
"It's about tissue-typing," Mark LaForce said. "My wife has different proteins than I."
6,000 people search the National Marrow Donor Program Registry on a daily basis. Half of the donors on the registry are Caucasian. This complicates the search considerably for patients of a mixed heritage. Donors with a diverse ethnic and racial background are a valued commodity. Given the mixed heritage of Blake LaForce's mother, this makes the search for his donor harder. But, LaForce is not alone in his battle. As is the case with the sports that he plays, LaForce has the support of a team.
"Blake is in the biggest game he will play in and he's in it to win with his team!" said Mark LaForce.
And, that team is sticking by the afflicted Vandalia-Butler athlete.
On Friday, February 22, several of Blake's classmates from Vandalia-Butler High School gathered at Just for Looks Hair and Tanning Salon for a "shave-a-thon." The event was organized by Megan Hall, one of Blake's classmates in Trent Dues' psychology class and the niece of Carriann Williams, owner of Just for Looks. According to Dues, the purpose of this event was to "show Blake that's he's not alone."
"Everyone's trying to treat him as normal as possible," said Dues. "He's the same Blake."
"Well, everyone knew that, because of the chemo, Blake was going to lose his hair," said Williams. "So, the idea was to show him that everybody knew he was still the same person."
Reiterating this point, Mark LaForce said, "We want people to know that Blake's still Blake. Yes, he's going to lose his hair. Yes, he's going to miss some school. Yes, he's going to be a little tired. Yes, he's got a tough road. But, he's still Blake."
The shave-a-thon officially began at 3 p.m., although the first heads were shaved at 2:30 p.m. By the time the event was over, nearly a hundred kids' heads were shaved. Moreover, Just for Looks had collected almost $600 for LaForce's college and medical fund.
"I let Blake shave some heads, too," Williams said. "He shaved his nephew's head and the head of a classmate."
Christy's Pizza was on hand to provide food and refreshments for the event.
"They brought seven or nine jumbos," said Williams. "The kids went through them all. Blake ate one all by himself."
Pizzas and shavings aside, perhaps one of the most valuable dividends reaped by the shave-a-thon was the strengthening of Blake's morale.
"It was a lot of fun," said Williams. "Blake smiled the whole time."
"If he's depressed, he's not showing it," Dues said. "He's doing a very admirable job battling this thing. I respect him a great deal."
Along with the encouragement of the community and classmates, Blake has also received the support of the Browns Backers of Greater Dayton. Both Blake and his father, Mark, were made members of the Backers. As Browns fanatics, this was an honor for both father and son. The two have also been invited to the Backer's annual banquet on April 26. However, Blake might have a slight schedule conflict.
"He's going to prom that night," Mark LaForce said. "So, I will probably have to put in a solo appearance there."
In addition to prom, April will be a big month for Blake. LaForce's bone marrow transplant is slated for late April. This process will be preceded by several chemotherapy treatments on March 17, 18, 19, and 26.
"We're all pumped about it," said Mark LaForce. "We're on the offensive."
The chemotherapy will be carried out at Children's Medical Center of Dayton, where Blake has been treated since he was diagnosed.
While it is true that the facility is outfitted for the treatment of very young children, its approach is perfectly suited for patients like Blake.
"The best protocol is pediatric protocol, even if you're in your 50s," said Mark LaForce.
Three doctors comprise the staff overseeing the treatments. This trio is headed by Dr. James French.
"They're super," Mark LaForce. "All of these people have been fantastic."
After this aggressive treatment, Blake will go to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for six weeks. There, he will receive his bone marrow transplant from Dr. Stella Davies.
"She's a feisty British lady from Liverpool, home of the Beatles," said Mark LaForce.
According to Mark LaForce, Blake's battle has "spawned a series of bone marrow drives at Ohio University, Kent State University, Wittenburg University, Miami of Ohio, and National City Bank headquarters in Dayton."
A Marrow Donor Drive is slated for Wednesday, March 26 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kellers Williams Home Town Realty on 9201 North Dixie Drive.
A special benefit for Blake LaForce is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the American Legion on 950 Helke Road.
There will be a silent auction, steak dinner, refreshments, dancing, and a DJ.
Tickets will be distributed at Just for Looks Hair and Tanning Salon on 114 East National Road and at National City Bank on 706 West National Road.
Updates on Blake LaForce can be found at www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do.
"Ads published on this site are not for republication in print or web
media without the expressed written consent of both the advertiser and
The Brown Publishing Company."
