City Rallies around Girl Fighting Cancer

Sara Escobar

Evening Star

 

Last weekend, miles upon miles of Jeeps could be seen traveling down I-14 towards Copperas Cove. Jeep owners from across the state, even across the country, joined in to make a cancer patient’s wish come true.

Savannah Lewis is 16-years-old and a resident of

Copperas Cove. Savannah was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma after she injured her leg during a cheerleading tryout more than a year ago. Her father, David Lewis, says that injury led to the discovery that she had a tumor. The disease is a an extremely rare form of bone cancer that occurs in and around the bones. There are fewer than 1,000 cases reported in the U.S. every year.

Despite Savannah’s illness, she still shares a passion with her father for Jeeps.

“I just want the streets flooded with Jeeps so she can see we’re all behind her,” Jason Koch told the press. “My wife and I run a Facebook Jeep group that David is a member of and David was giving updates of his daughter and we wanted to show them support," Koch said. A Temple resident, he spearheaded the Jeep parade on Sunday that drove past the home where Savannah is now in hospice care.

Roughly 350 Jeeps and over 600 people from as far as Alaska met in the H-E-B parking lot in Copperas Cove on Sunday before beginning the drive towards Savannah’s home, where she watched from the downstairs window.

Savannah is also a big fan of Christmas time, and on Wednesday the week prior, she was greeted by a crowd of friends, neighbors and even total strangers as she returned home from an Austin hospital. Volunteers had pitched in to decorate the house both inside and out to fulfill the dying girl’s wish to see the home adorned for Christmas one last time. Though the official decorating event wasn’t set to take place until 4 p.m. that day, volunteers were at the Lewis home early in the morning. Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty were on hand in the afternoon. Ambassador Trisha Stutz, Junior Ambassador Kaydence Weary, and other royalty presented Lewis with a tiara and banner, then crowned her an honorary Five Hills Princess.

“We hope this crown will bring Savannah a few moments of happiness and we will continue to pray for her and her family,” Stutz said.

Ultimately, Koch and other event organizers were happy to bring some small sentiment of joy for Savannah.

“Savannah is a funny, funny girl, who is quick on her toes. She deserves this.” Said April Miller, a Central Texas volunteer coordinator.