Del Rio family turns grief into hope at Devils River fundraiser

Jessica Hester is spending the final days before the April 18 Devils River Run and Ride for Hope turning her daughter Brooke’s memory into action. The Del Rio fundraiser has become both a memorial and a regional gathering, tied to the month Brooke would have turned 19.

Brooke Hester was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma in November 2010, when she was just 3 1/2 years old. She fought the disease for several years before dying shortly after her eighth birthday, leaving her family with a loss that became the foundation for a continuing public effort.

Through Brooke’s Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer Foundation, the Hester family has raised almost $94,000 over the years for childhood cancer research. The volunteer-led foundation was established in 2012 and says its work goes beyond one annual race, with care packages, art-based support, educational tools and advocacy for families facing cancer.

The foundation says it has delivered more than 112,000 care packages to children in the United States and in 55 countries. Its stated mission is to help fund research aimed at earlier detection, newer treatments and targeted therapies, while also easing the day-to-day strain on families navigating treatment, school interruptions and long hospital stays.

The Devils River Run and Ride for Hope will again draw runners and riders to rugged country near McKenna Ranch, about 44 miles north of Del Rio. Event options include endurance gravel cycling, two mountain bike races, a marathon, a half marathon and a 5K run/walk, all set against the Devils River landscape that has become central to the fundraiser’s identity.

After the races, participants will gather for West Texas barbecue, live music, an auction, raffle items, camping and time in one of the region’s most recognizable outdoor settings. The mix of competition and commemoration has helped the event grow from a local effort into one that attracts participants from across Texas and beyond.

The cause reaches into a broader national crisis. The American Childhood Cancer Organization estimates about 15,780 children and teens in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year. The National Cancer Institute says about 495,739 childhood and adolescent cancer survivors were alive in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2020, while St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says more than 290 children and adolescents are diagnosed every week and that survival has risen from 20% to more than 80% since 1962.

For Val Verde County, the event gives Brooke Hester’s story a visible hometown face, linking grief, research and family support to a place many residents know by name: the Devils River.