Dan Cavanagh Memorial Event

From the Pontiac Daily Leader

In an effort to continue a positive family tradition and help a new generation of children learn about their grandfather, the friends and family of the late Chatsworth native Dan Cavanagh have organized the third annual Dan Cavanagh Memorial event, “Running Over MSA 5K” on July 7. Cavanagh passed away from a rare disease on Oct. 11, 2015, at the age of 65. According to multiplesystematrophy.org, Multiple System Atrophy is a terminal neurodegenerative disease that affects both men and women and strikes them in the prime of their life. It slowly and progressively takes away their abilities to walk, talk, swallow and breathe. MSA is considered a type of parkinsonism, but with more widespread effects on the brain and body. Before he passed away, his family and friends held a “Purple Rain” event at CAPS Park District Pool in Chatsworth with Cavanagh and more than 100 close family and friends. The event raised more than $6,000 for the MSA Coalition, a national charity focused primarily on facilitating and funding MSA research that will lead to the discovery of a cure. Since his passing, the family has raised $3,000 during the inaugural Dan Cavanagh Memorial event two years ago and $4,000 at last year’s event. “This year our sponsors and donors are stronger than before and our goal is $5,000 for the MSA Coalition,” Cavanagh’s daughter and event organizer Kacie Hunter said. “In addition to our donation to the MSA Coalition, we are hoping to have a scholarship opportunity available to a Prairie Central High School graduate in the Spring of 2019 in dad’s name.” Matt Cavanagh, Chatsworth police chief and the oldest son of Dan Cavanagh, can still recall the dramatic impact MSA had on his father. Prior to the onset of the disease, Cavanagh described his father as the type of person who knew and talked to everyone. “It seems like everyone has a story about my dad,” he said. “Growing up as a kid, as soon as someone found out who my dad  was, they wanted to tell me a story. “My dad was the type of guy, especially with his job as an agriculture chemical salesman, who knew everybody in the community. He was stopping to see different people every day. So, when people started not seeing him after he first was diagnosed with MSA, it really robbed my father of his joy. “He was still mentally aware of everything going on, but he couldn’t speak anymore and he couldn’t get out and be mobile and that really had an impact on him,” Cavanagh added. “So, there for a good two- or three-year period, a lot of people didn’t get to see him and he couldn’t communicate with people like he used to. Sure, his friends would still come by, but it just wasn’t the same.” Growing up, Matt, his younger brother Adam “Bubba” and their sister Kacie enjoyed spending time at their grandparents’ farm, located three miles south of Chatsworth, known as Twin Rocks Farm. Every year James and Milly Diller, the parents of Dan’s wife Katie, would host Fourth of July events at Twin Rocks for the whole town with fireworks at dusk. “Over the years the party turned into this big community event, so my family and I discussed the idea of hosting an event in dad’s memory out at the family farm to bring that nostalgia back,” Matt Cavanagh said. “It’s also a way for our kids to get to know their grandfather through the stories of friends and family because he died before they got to meet him.” This year’s event will kick off with a “Running Over MSA 5K” on a unique cross-country course that is sprawled out over the 80 acres of prairie and forest land that make up Twin Rocks. Along the way, the course will spotlight individuals in the area that have been impacted by MSA in some way. “It’s a very unique course because there’s a lot of terrain changes. At one point you are running through hills prairie, the next you may be running through the woods and the hills in the woods,” Matt Cavanagh said. “So, it’s a pretty challenging course and a lot  of people who have run it the last few years have told us it was great. “We had some people from Texas who came and ran our event last year. Afterward, they said, ‘we thought Illinois was supposed to be flat.’ They did not have any idea that we had all these hills.” After the 5K, a poker rally is held on the property. People are encouraged to bring along their four-wheelers, golf carts, or ATVs and drive (or walk) the 3.1-mile course. Along the way, there are seven poker hand stations where participants can gain a five-card poker hand with two wild cards. “At each station, there will be games or activities for participants to compete in to gain their poker hand. The activities range from rolling dice to relay races, horse racing and plinko,” Hunter said. “Each station and activity has a relation to dad and his hobbies or activities he enjoyed doing with his family and friends over the years. “Each station is also themed to places or things that dad enjoyed, including scenes from his favorite Mel Brooks movies, the Indianapolis 500, and dad’s birthday, St. Patrick’s Day. The best poker hand winner will receive a trophy and cash prize and the worst hand receives a smaller cash prize.” Throughout the day, there will be bouncy houses for children and corn hole games. Lunch and dinner are provided. There are also sponsor-donated baskets which are raffled off and a fireworks display is held at dusk sponsored by Dan’s father in law, James Diller, of Chatsworth, in memory of his wife, the late Milly Diller. “Dad left a lot of memories and traditions to pass onto our families,” Hunter said. “The annual Dan Cavanagh Memorial is a time to celebrate his life and all that he was along with raising awareness and money for research to this terrible disease that took him from us way too soon.” For more information, or to sign-up for the event, visit the event’s website dannycavanaghmemorial.myevent.com.