All proceeds raised from the Hyde Park Blast are donated to the Wellness Community, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Cancer-Free Kids and Give Back Cincinnati. The Blast is dedicated to helping our community fight cancer!
This year the Blast named two Ambassadors – Jeff Egleston and Amy Matalka – both young cancer survivors to raise awareness among the Blast participants throughout the day-long event that the Hyde Park Blast is a fundraiser for cancer organizations.
Jeff Eggleston is a Mt. Lookout resident and a vice president at Fifth Third bank. Jeff was diagnosed with liposarcoma in January 2008. That same month doctors removed a 24-lb tumor from his abdomen. “So many more things could have gone wrong during and after my surgery and I know that my commitment to a healthy lifestyle helped me get through it all,” says Jeff. “I also know that there is a real chance of my cancer returning so I make every effort to be as active and healthy as possible.” Jeff ran the 2009 Flying Pig half marathon and beat his time for the race in 2007.
A portion of the proceeds raised in the 2009 Hyde Park Blast will be donated to the Shemenski Foundation on behalf of Jeff Eggleston. The Shemenski Foundation raises money for cancer nonprofits and was named after John Shemenski, a close friend who died this past year after battling brain cancer.
Amy Matalka is a resident of Middletown and office administrator at Indiana Wesleyan University in West Chester. Amy was diagnosed with Stage III Primary Peritoneal/Ovarian cancer in 2005 at the age of 30 just after getting married. She was referred by the oncology office at St. Elizabeth Medical Center to the Wellness Community, a beneficiary of the Hyde Park Blast since 2001. “I joined a weekly support group, and even though I was the youngest person in the room, it really helped to talk to other people with cancer every week,” says Amy. "The Wellness Community provided me a safe place to say whatever I was feeling and thinking, making me feel so welcomed, at ease and really understood."
The Wellness Community will receive proceeds this year in Amy Matalka’s name. "Cancer has given me another reason to live and a positive outlook on life. Like a 'second' chance! What seemed like a tragedy when it all began has become a life-changing event that I can share with and help others," says Amy. "I thank the Wellness Community for their love, support and hope! I have been truly blessed by this special gift."
