Wenatchee and Eastmont cross country teams come together to support cancer patient

Since the time before any current Wenatchee High School student can remember, there has been a cross-town rivalry with Eastmont High School. Each side a formidable post of competitive energy, WHS and EHS have always fought tooth and nail against each other — whether it be on a field or in a classroom.

Ask any Panther about the Wildcats, and you will hear a vast array of opinions on why EHS is worse; the same answers come out if you ask an EHS student about WHS. The nature of this rivalry has always had its boundaries, though. And following the diagnosis of EHS senior and star runner Matt Olson, who has a type of childhood brain cancer called medulloblastoma, the WHS and EHS cross country teams set aside their rivalry to support a fellow runner.

It all started earlier this summer, when, according to EHS cross country coach Gary Millard, Olson started experiencing flu-like symptoms. Often, one week he would feel fine, only to become ill the next. Olson logged over 500 miles this summer in training for his final high school cross country season, with dreams of cracking the top 20 at the State Championships. That changed the day following his first cross country meet of the season, when Olson became ill.

“He was having flu-like symptoms off and on, so they [Olson’s parents] went in to get a blood draw. He was raced over to Children’s [Hospital in Seattle that day],” Millard said.

Currently, Olson is undergoing radiation therapy five days a week at Children’s Hospital, and that will be followed by six months of chemotherapy. Having had to relearn to walk, he is now walking three miles at a time. Because of the responsive nature of medulloblastoma — the most common form of childhood cancer — to treatment, he is expected to completely recover.

According to Olson’s father Eric Olson, the doctors can no longer see the tumor, and the treatment is going well.

Olson is doing online school, with assistance from his brother, an engineering student, as well as a tutor at Children’s Hospital, and is expected to graduate from EHS this year. According to his father, Olson is more than glad that his tumor has disappeared.

“He nicknamed [the tumor] ‘Donald Trump’,” his father said. “He’s happy to be rid of it.”

WHS freshman cross country runner Gwen McQuaig heard about Olson’s condition through the church that they share . McQuaig then approached the WHS team about showing their support for Olson.

“The response (from the team) was overwhelming,” McQuaig said. “Everyone was like, ‘How do we help? What can we do?’ ”

Among the ways that the WHS runners showed their support for Olson was through a T-shirt signed by the team, as well as making “inspirational flags,” spearheaded by WHS sophomore Claire Sirmon, and local business The Wellness Place. More than 40 runners attended the gathering to create the flags, according to WHS cross country coach Susan Valdez.

“The flags came to us from The Wellness Place,” Sirmon said. “It’s always hard when a runner can’t run. We know it’d be hard not to be able to run.”

Olson’s twin sister, EHS senior and cross country teammate Katrina Olson expressed her gratitude of the support shown by the WHS runners.

“I think it’s nice that they have done the flags and T-shirt,” she said. “He’s so glad to know that so many people are praying for and supporting him.”

Matt Olson has always loved running, according to his father Eric Olson. He started getting serious about the sport in junior high school, and is naturally competitive. Being diagnosed with medulloblastoma has been a blow to Olson, who will miss his cross country season and more than likely his track season, but has plans on running collegiately.

“He has plans to get back to race, but won’t be back for cross country with his radiation,” Olson’s father said.