5-Year-Old Commits to 100 Hikes With Her Mother During Leukemia Treatment

“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” This quote by Samuel Smiles expounds the 5-year-old Bellamy Korn’s fight against cancer and her fearless attitude towards life.

In early March, the little girl’s life took a tragic turn followed by a visit to the pediatrician when she was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, Bellamy has overcome all the hindrances hurled at her by the deadly disease. She along with her mother completed the hiking expedition trekking to the Pine Ridge Natural Area in west Fort Collins. 

Bellamy Korn and her journey from defeating pain to hikes

Following her long hospital stay Korn has returned to Timnath where she stays with her mother, Sarah Bailey and three older brothers. Still recovering from cancer, the medications have a strong impact on little Korn’s body where she suffers from leg pain. Since, the 5-year-old is an outdoorsy person, the mother-daughter duo started with small steps and in a stroller roamed around in the neighborhood.  

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Gradually, Korn’s health started improving and they completed the trail around Dixon Reservoir. This marked the exceptional 20th hike of the little girl and her mother since the beginning of Korn’s battle against cancer. The Coloradoan captured Bailey’s opinion on this exhausting fight against the deadly disease, “It doesn’t always look pretty, but it’s critical for mental well-being and movement gets her bodily functions going.”

Finding strength in hiking and inspiring others

In order to keep a record of Korn’s hiking endeavors, Bailey posts them on the Instagram page with the handle “bellamywillwin” created to document the little one’s cancer fight. Witnessing her daughter’s indomitable spirit, they have set their goal to accomplish 100 hikes before Korn’s treatments are slated to be over around June 2025. 

The unbeatable attitude of Korn backed up by the determination of her mother continued to impress the 3000-member private group on Facebook known as the Colorado Hiking Moms. Since the little girl cannot be around crowds due to her compromised immune system, Brainna Robles, the co-founder of the group has arranged a community event during her next hike at Coyote Ridge Natural Area.

According to Bailey, Korn is yet to climb the biggest mountain of raising awareness for pediatric cancer. The federal research budget of the National Cancer Institute is gravely underfunded, of which only 4% is assigned to pediatric cancer. Bailey encourages to support fundraising programs like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer and donate platelets and blood. 

Every hike that Bailey and Korn embark on is a victorious move and a step forward to the ultimate summit of accomplishing a cancer-free future. In their personal journey, they ensure to leave a positive message for the society ensuring better funding and raising awareness helping other kids suffering from cancer.

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