This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Motorcycle riders on Sunday rallied in Utah County around a 2-year-old boy fighting cancer.
Derek Fugal was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer in May after an undetected tumor burst, ushering in a summer of chemotherapy, radiation treatments and surgery.
"He's lost his kidney and part of his liver," said Derek's dad Jay Fugal, "but the prognosis is that he should be just fine."
Sunday's brigade, organized by Lehi resident and Harley Davidson fan Tyler Decapot, launched from Black Bell Performance in Lindon and ended at Legends Motorcycle in Springville. There, participants partook of $5-per-plate barbecue.
"We wanted to give Derek a day to see how much support he has," Decapot said.
His gregarious son lit up at the large gathering of motorcyclists, Fugal said, noting that Derek often asks strangers if they'd like to see the scar that stretches diagonally across his midsection.
"He got to sit on a couple of motorcycles and rev the engines. That was enough for today," Fugal said. "A couple of guys gave him a toy motorcycle, and he played with it for over an hour."
The ride and barbecue drew $1,600 in donations, an amount that Legends agreed to match, Fugal said. The $3,200 will help pay off Derek's prescriptions and medical bills.
"We're not asking for more at this point," Fugal said, grateful for the network of support his family enjoys. Other pediatric patients are not as fortunate, Fugal added."So we want to pay it forward," Fugal said. "We want to be a resource for them."
Derek should finish all treatments by Thanksgiving.
Twitter: @catmck