Hundreds from across the county came out Saturday to run and support a Rancho Penasquitos teenager battling cancer.
"There's people here I don't even know that showed up and are here to support me and it's…it's so amazing,” said Kasey Harvey, who has been battling a rare form of cancer since last November. After 42 tough weeks of treatment, she is in remission.
The Harvey family of Rancho Penasquitos were the first to bring concerns about the former president and CEO of a San Diego cancer charity, Brianna King, and the charity, WishWarriors, to NBC 7 Investigates. They said after their daughter, Kasey, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer last year, WishWarriors reached out and promised the family financial support if the organization could highlight them.
They agreed, but have never seen any money from the organization.
On Sept. 1, King pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court to grand theft in connection to her time at the helm of nonprofit WishWarriors. The district attorney’s office opened a criminal investigation into King after an NBC 7 Investigation revealed children profiled by the charity never received the donations they were promised. It was in early July a WishWarriors board member confirmed most of the money raised by the charity appeared to be gone.
Susan, Kasey’s mother, said it’s hard for her daughter not to smile after overcoming one obstacle after another.
“Cancer costs a lot of money,” Susan said. “Whether it's Kasey eating correctly, or physical therapy, you know the gas back and forth to the hospital four times a week.”
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Nearly 500 people from across the county – friends, family and complete strangers – all touched by Harvey’s story, came to Saturday’s event to offer a helping hand in the form of a charity 5K run, appropriately called the “5-Kasey Fun Run and Walk”.
"They have insurance, but it doesn't cover one of the parents having to quit their job to be [there] 7/24 taking care of a very, very sick little girl,” said family friend Nadra Hess.
Hess and several others organized the event. “She needed to be there for her [Kasey] so we needed to be there for her,” she added.
For Susan, the community support has been overwhelming.
"The community and these people have lifted us and have carried us through this journey and that's the honest truth, they really have,” said Susan.
Saturday morning, Susan gave out high fives to those participating in the 5-K while focusing on the positive.
"This celebration today is helping put a closure on that chapter. After today, it's a new life,” she shared.
The 14-year-old athlete said she’s looking forward to getting starting something she missed: soccer.
“I've missed that a lot throughout the whole year and that's one thing I really want to get back to,” said Kasey.
Even organizers said they exceeded their goal, raising more than $12,000. IF you would like to donate, you can do so by visiting Kasey's website here.
According to Deputy District Attorney James Teh, if King pays at least $10,000 in restitution to WishWarriors by December, prosecutors will not oppose her request to serve jail time in San Diego. He said that $10,000 figure gives you an idea of the amount she admitted to stealing.
NBC 7 Investigates first reported on King’s criminal history in July. In San Diego County, King was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty in 2004 to four misdemeanor counts for using fraudulent checks and burglary. Though she was ordered to pay $2,905, probation documents show she never paid the full amount.
