LEHI — Age 9 was a pivotal age for Calvin Smith. That was when he picked up mountain biking — it was also when he learned he had brain cancer.
After eight years of treatments, the cancer that is classified as a PXA (anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma), has become inoperable, paralyzing the right side of now-17-year-old Calvin's body. Friends, family and complete strangers are rallying around the teen to make sure he can stay on the trails by raising funds to buy an adaptive bike.
Skyridge High School mountain bike coach Jason Taylor, who has been coaching Calvin for the past six years, described the boy as an "incredible athlete."
"Cal is almost always on the podium at races … regardless of this tumor, he is an incredible athlete," Taylor said. "He was in the second-fastest category last year and won some races for us. He was going to be a varsity racer this year."
Taylor spoke about witnessing Calvin race through painful moments no other athlete on the course was experiencing — yet, he's pushed through, race after race.
"It was really hard for him and I think the harder he pushed himself, the more pain it caused in his head," Taylor said. "But he saw that as the hurdle he had to get past and there were many races that didn't stop him. He just pushed through it. … I never heard any excuses from him. It was always just his battle that he fought quietly that no one else really knew about until recently."
Calvin, who has had five surgeries since his diagnosis, with several rounds of radiation and constant chemotherapy, acknowledged it has been very hard to train and compete, but mountain biking is something that has brought him so much joy. He went on to describe what it was like to endure cancer treatments through the years, as each one brought both fear and hope.
"I was in seventh grade, riding on the Junior Devo team … and then another tumor came, and I got surgery and radiation," Calvin explained. "I was back on the bike shortly after that, and then the next year was fine. And then, the year after that was my first year on the freshman high school team, and then I got another tumor in the summer. I was still able to race, but the surgery was right before the other races, but then the next year I was good. I got no tumors and then I had a really good season."
It was always just his battle that he fought quietly that no one else really knew about until recently.
–Jason Taylor
Calvin's dad, Ryan Smith, said with each tumor and subsequent surgery, they thought this would just be a way of life: Growing and removing tumors. He said the family had hope their son would get through this.
"It was just kind of hard to deal with where we thought he'd have a high likelihood of success (with surgeries), and then every time it was another step back," Smith said. "I think Cal dealt with it really well and every time that it happened, it was awful and it kind of put us back through all those emotions. But after five of them, it was almost like, 'OK, that's what we do every other year; he's got a tumor, we'll get it out, it'll set him back, but he'll get back to school and all the things he loves to do.'
In January, however, it didn't go quite as well. And then in March, everything went downhill pretty quickly."
'Team Cal'
The recent setback has been an inoperable tumor. It has caused Calvin's entire right side of his body to be paralyzed. Taylor said watching the young athlete endure this has been difficult, adding that he and members of his team and local mountain bike community have wanted to step in to help.
"I have loved coaching and have grown really close with Cal and his family," Taylor said. "This is one of those things where it takes all of those feelings through the years and kind of brings them to the surface and makes you frustrated and sometimes even angry. We want to find ways to demonstrate and give back a little bit of what he's given us over the years since he can't ride now. We're hoping to find a way to keep him on the trail."
Taylor, along with many others, have created what they are calling #TEAMCAL, a website dedicated to raising funds to purchase an adaptive bike for Calvin. On Wednesday, there will be a fundraising event, a "Ride for Cal," that will be held in Eagle Mountain. Here, bikers will ride a 6-mile loop as many times as they can, and money can be donated to riders through the site itself.
"We have over 100 riders now that are sponsored, and every mile they do, we have sponsors that are going to give them a few bucks to do those miles and every dollar adds up," Taylor said. "I think it's going to be something that's really special for this community. We want to help Cal realize that there's an incredible amount of support around him."
"We have riders that are going to try and ride for 100 miles in that single day," he said. "Some of them are really going to push themselves to try and achieve something that's quite difficult — all for an incredible cause."
We're hoping to find a way to keep him on the trail.
–Jason Taylor
An adaptive bike sells for around $20,000 and Calvin said it would mean a lot to him to get back on the trails. He said he's so grateful for the support.
"It feels amazing that so many people care about me — a lot of people that I didn't even know," Calvin said. "Having a bike to ride would be so awesome because I could still be on the trails."
The Ride for Cal fundraising event will take place at the Eagle Mountain Rock City Trailhead from noon until midnight on Wednesday. To participate or to donate, go to teamcal.org. A GoFundMe* campaign has been set up to help fund the bike.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
