Man turns grief into a community-driven mission to fight canine cancer

Running the distance for Dax

A Tampa man is turning the heartbreak of losing his best friend, a Golden Retriever named Dax, into a 32-mile mission of hope. Now, he's lacing up his running shoes to raise money for canine cancer research.

TAMPA - Channeling grief into change, Danny Cevette runs to remember his beloved golden retriever Dax. He invites like-minded dog lovers and runners to join him as his "Distance for Dax" run raises money and awareness for canine cancer research.

The backstory:

It seemed like only yesterday when Cevette visited the kennel to choose a dog, but not just a dog, a forever friend.

"When I went to go pick him out," recalled Cevette, "All of the dogs were playing, doing their own thing, and this one little, very light golden retriever came straight up to me and wanted to hang out with me. That’s the moment I knew he was mine."

That started their bonding and journey together. For more than 8 years, Cevette described Dax as more than just a friend. He was the family who taught Cevette more about life and love.

That love was put to the test in January.

"We had gone for a very long walk the day before, so when I woke up, and he was very lethargic, I thought he might just be a little tired and, you know, a little sore," admitted Cevette. "But it seemed a little more than that, and I wanted to take him to the vet to be sure."

That vet visit turned Cevette's world upside down.

"When the vet walked in and told me that he had a mass, my heart was in my heels," he said.

The word was Hemangiosarcoma, an extremely aggressive form of cancer that can spread through the major organs of a dog's anatomy.

Dax was already experiencing internal bleeding, so Cevette made the decision to save his friend with emergency surgery.

"Unfortunately, he had already had it spread and passed in surgery," he shared, "And I think the most difficult part of that was that, in what felt like the blink of an eye, he was completely healthy, and then he was gone."

Local perspective:

The shock of grief gave Cevette a pause as he wrestled with what to do next.

"It breaks my heart to know that other people have had that exact same experience," he said.

He began planning a way to honor Dax. It would be more than a memorial, it would be a way to raise awareness and funds to support Canine Cancer Research, and Canceling Canine Cancer began.

"Anyone can join. It won’t be a specific pace. Anybody at any skill level can join," he said. "I’ll be running 8 miles at a time. Eight miles four times throughout the day, and I’ll break it up with a hang-out in between."

Distance for Dax is a 32-mile challenge that will take place Saturday, April 18th. Runners that attend the event get to experience different parts of Tampa's City life in addition to taking part in this cause for cancer research.

"After the first run, do breakfast, after the second we’ll do lunch," said Cevette, "And at the end of the day, we’ll probably order a bunch of pizza."

The starting point is the Hyde Park Fountain at 6:30 a.m. with a destination of the Salty Donut for the first rest stop. Departure from there is set for 9:30 a.m. as the route takes the runners to Amature Works for lunch at Sweetgreen. They will leave there at 12:30 p.m. with a destination of the Yard House for a break. The final leg begins at 3:30 p.m. with an ending set for Hyde Park again, where they started at the fountain.

"Even just one percent more, with doing something like this spreading the awareness, raising money, my heart would be full," Cevette said.

What you can do:

To sign up to take part in the Distance for Dax run, or to learn more about Canceling Canine Cancer visit here.
To donate in honor of Dax or to remember a different dog, visit here.