Valley drag racer inspiring kids with life-threatening illnesses

PHOENIX - Renowned Valley motorcycle drag racer Valerie Thompson is inviting residents to join in her run to give kids hope.

The run, scheduled for Saturday, will benefit 650 kids being helped by the organization HopeKids .

Four-year-old Taylor Souza was introduced to HopeKids after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or AML, which is one of the most aggressive life-threatening forms of leukemia.

Taylor's mother Kristen Souza remembers the bruises that peppered Taylor's legs before taking her in to the doctor.

"Taylor was never sick, she may've caught a cold once. We take her to the doctor for an ear infection and find out 24 hours later that she has one of the more aggressive forms of leukemia. It's hard to still take in, to even believe, sometimes I still wonder did that really happen?" Souza says.

The following day Taylor was admitted to the hospital for aggressive chemotherapy.

"We were there for eight months," recalls Souza.

For Taylor, that meant eight months of never being able to ride her bike or walk to the park.

"You forget what normal is, you have a new sort of normal when you have a life-threatening illness like this," said Souza. "You take so many things for granted."

Taylor is now in remission, but Kristen said she will always remember the hope she received from support through HopeKids.

Even more special, Taylor is getting visits from racer Valerie Thompson and even got to sit on her hot pink motorcycle.

Thompson's charity run begins at Chester's Harley Davidson in Mesa and will go to Phoenix Children's Hospital, from there it will head to Biker Babes and Beyond in Cottonwood.

For more information go to www.hopekids.org .