Celebration of life to

be held for Will Dicus
By Steve Behr
 
A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church to remember the life of Will Dicus.

Dicus died of Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of cancer, Monday night. He was 18. Following the Celebration of Life, a covered dish dinner will be held. The Dicus family has requested that no flowers be sent and any donations to be made to the Watauga baseball team.

Dicus was a member of the Watauga baseball team the past two seasons despite his battles with the disease. In 2008, he tossed a no-hitter against the Freedom jayvee team, and saw action on the varsity level. He also pitched during the 2008 summer season.

Run to benefit Dicus family
The Ryan’s Rock n Roll Run will be held at 9 a.m. June 20 at the Boone Greenway Trail, with the proceeds going toward the Dicus family.

The event includes a one-mile race, a 5K race and a five-mile race. All will be on the Greenway Trail. There is a $20 entry fee, which includes a free t-shirt. Those who are interested can register online at ryansrocknrollrun.com, or register June 19 behind the Watauga County Swim Complex.

The namesake of the run, Ryan Glenny, died in December 2007 of Ewing’s sarcoma. Glenny was 16. He and Dicus attended classes together at Watauga High.

Last year, the Glenny family hosted a footrace and a skate event — Ryan Glenny was an avid skater — at the Watauga County Skate Park to help raise money to fight cancer. Ryan’s Rock n Roll Run and Ryan’s Grind, raised $7,500, which became part of a $50,000 research grant awarded through the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative for sarcoma research in 2008.

This year the event will be limited to the run only and all proceeds will go to the Dicus family.

Ewing’s is in the sarcoma family of cancers which makes up only one percent of all cancers but which accounts for 15-20 percent of all childhood cancers. There are typically about 250 new cases of Ewing’s sarcoma in the U.S. each year.

It’s cause is unknown but it is believed to be genetically related. Sarcomas typically affect the bones, muscles, blood vessels, and connective tissues.