From one Disney theme park to another, the Cobb family is on a philanthropic cross-country walk that will take them through Aggieland Wednesday.
In August 2014, Jonathan and Jennifer Cobb, along with their three children — Jonathan, Jemma and Jaxi — began their walk across America from Disneyland in California to Disney World in Florida. Their goal is to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer and to honor their daughter Julia, who passed away at 8 years old in 2013 from Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of cancer.
The Cobb family will walk Wednesday in honor of Lauren Brown, an international studies and applied mathematics junior, and will meet at 3 p.m. at Jason’s Deli. They invite students and other community members to join them in their walk through B-CS.
Brown, who has Ewing’s sarcoma, said she was told about the Cobb family’s walk by her roommate, who supported the family’s walk in Huntsville, Texas last week.
“She was with the Cobb family when they were walking,” Brown said. “She turned around and talked to them and told them about my story. We are really excited to be able to meet them Wednesday.”
Jennifer Cobb said one of the main goals of the walk is to promote awareness of the gravity of pediatric cancer. The family started a foundation to continue their goal, called “JuCan,” remembering their daughter Julia’s nickname, Ju, and the inspiring message she sought to give to all.
“Unfortunately, pediatric cancer research is terribly underfunded,” Jennifer Cobb said. “It is the number one cause of death by disease for children.”
Jennifer Cobb said the family wanted to use their faith and their love for Julia to continue to spread awareness to help other children and other families throughout the nation.
“It’s just something that no parent ever wants to go through,” Jennifer Cobb said. “But we want to give our love and support to help everyone else that we possibly can.”
Jennifer Cobb said the family walks each day for a different person who is battling cancer to honor them and their fight.
“We pretty much walk around 25 miles a day, and each day we walk for one specific person,” Jennifer Cobb said. “We’ve gotten so many different requests and people asked us, ‘Could you walk for my niece or my nephew?’ And we always do.”
Brown said it is a privilege to be honored in the walk.
“I can personally speak to how underfunded childhood cancer is,” Brown said. “I think it would be amazing to bring more awareness to college students.”
Brown said bringing awareness to college-aged students can help with finding a solution sooner rather than later.
“I believe we’re in a position to make change,” Brown said. “We’re all getting degrees that will shape our lives and then to go out into the real world to hopefully make a difference.”
Logan Lester, a university studies junior, is a friend of the Cobb family and helped to organize the College Station walk. Lester said the event is important to her because of Julia Cobb’s influence on her life.
“She left a powerful legacy, I can’t even begin to put what she means to me into words,” Lester said.
The walk through Aggieland will begin at Jason’s Deli in the parking lot and will last approximately three hours. The route follows Texas to University, along University to Welborn and from Welborn to George Bush.