Ohio State athletes team up to help Upper Arlington boy with rare disease
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio State University athletic community is rallying around a family as they try to find a cure for their son’s rare disease.
Landon McChesney is fighting a rare disorder that does not have a viable cure. His family started LandOn A Cure to change that – for him and for others going through this fight.
LandOn A Cure held its first Volley for a Cure charity tournament Saturday, raising money and awareness for children battling rare genetic disorders.
“We’re hoping that we spread the word, you know?” Jaren Woodland McChesney, founder of the organization, said. “The first step is awareness and with awareness comes the realization that rare diseases are very underfunded, you know? His disease doesn’t even have a name.”
Landon and the non-profit organization went viral when a sign encouraging donations appeared on ESPN's College GameDay before the Ohio State-Michigan game in 2021, and then again before the Ohio State-Notre Dame game in 2022.
Quick, creative thinking in the form of an ESPN “College GameDay” sign at the Ohio State Michigan game this past weekend gave the Upper Arlington family a jump start on their funding, and they’re hoping to carry that momentum into Giving Tuesday.
McChesney’s son Landon’s disease stops all abilities and brain functions over time. In 2018, he was given two years to live.
“Landon is a really inspiring young man who really fights hard,” Edward Hastie, owner of Woodland’s Backyard, said.
The proceeds from Saturday’s event, which was held at Woodland’s, will go to the Ohio State team studying Landon’s disorder, but the OSU medical team isn’t the only way the university is involved.
Some Ohio State athletes have a connection with Landon, too.
“We share a really special bond with them,” Ohio State women’s basketball standout Jacy Sheldon said. “We met him a little over a year ago and we kind of clicked right away.”
“It’s that Buckeye Nation coming to rally around Landon,” McChesney said. “It really shows the real beauty of the human spirit in this community as a whole.”
Athletes from the school’s football and basketball teams as well as others supported the charity, spiking, passing, and scoring for a cure.
“It means everything,” Sheldon said. “He’s an amazing kid. He’s got an amazing family, so just any way we can help out, we want to do it.”
Hastie said he expects the event to raise between $5,000 and $10,000 toward research, while LandOn A Cure hopes to make it an annual event.
To learn more about the organization and Landon’s journey, click here.