BEVERLY — A Far South Side woman is encouraging neighbors to run a 5K in support of a family who lost their young daughter to cancer.
Willowrue “Rue” Everlee Sieburg, of Syracuse, New York, died in March from a rare form of brain cancer. She was 14 months old. She is survived by her parents, Giles Sieburg and Dhara Rose Rainier-Sieburg, and two sisters.
Sotiria Tejeda, of Beverly, connected with Rue’s parents online and has supported them through grief, she said. She is organizing a virtual 5K to raise money to help the family with Rue’s medical expenses and funeral costs.
People can contribute by buying a Run for Rue and RuesCrew T-shirt online for $16.11-$34.28.
Supporters are asked to complete a 5K on their own time while wearing the shirt, Tejeda said. Runners and walkers can tweet and share photos of them completing the 5K with #RuesCrew and #RunForRue.
Direct donations can also be made to the Sieburg family on GoFundMe.
Rue spent most of her short life undergoing rounds of chemotherapy, Tejeda said. But she was “a happy, vibrant baby; you can tell she suffered, but the love around her surpassed that,” Tejeda said.
Tejeda had followed Rue’s story on the Instagram page her parents created. Facing cancer during the isolation of COVID-19, the family found solace in taking Rue on walks to nature trails and waterfalls, Tejeda said.
“She grew a love for the outdoors,” Tejeda said. “So please join us, and go outside and take a walk or run for her.”
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