Chase Bailey died nearly four years ago on Aug. 18, 2015 at age 16 of osteosarcoma – a form of bone cancer – but his memory has not only remained alive, the effort to help kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has grown in Clarksdale and Coahoma County.
Raising money for children at the hospital began before Bailey’s death. The seventh annual lemonade stand and bake sale was held in Bailey’s honor on Yazoo Avenue across from Yazoo Pass recently. A total of $614 was raised on Saturday and, collectively through the years, the sale has accumulated $5,000 to $6,000.
Lemonade, homemade muffins, bread, cookies and St. Jude items were all sold on Saturday.
One child, Delarian “Deuce” Norsworthy, now age 6, did not know Bailey, who attended Lee Academy, but was touched by his story. Norsworthy is going into first grade at Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School and was diagnosed with leukemia in June 2018, but no longer has the disease.
“He’s doing well,” said Norsworthy’s mother Crystal Landfair. “He reached remission in September. We’re in active treatment.”
Landfair and Norsworthy stopped by the lemonade and bake sale on Saturday and plan to do something similar in the future to also help St. Jude patients.
“It means a lot because when we first arrived at St. Jude, my mind was everywhere. Since we’ve been at St. Jude, he was an in-patient, I have not had to worry about any of the things to pay for,” Landfair said. “Gas, food, they pay for it. Because of these supporters and donations, we’re able to not worry about anything monetary.”
Tiffney Weaver and her son Carter helped start lemonade stand and bake sale in Bailey’s honor. They currently live in Mathison but Tiffney worked for First Presbyterian Day School when she lived in Clarksdale and had a daycare, Tiff’s Kids.
That was where Carter, now 15 going into his sophomore year of high school, got to know Bailey. Carter was five years younger than Bailey and like a little brother to him.
Both Tiffney and Carter talked about the increase of awareness that has taken place the past seven years.
“I think it’s grown a lot because of this community,” Tiffney said. “We have had so many children in the community have cancer, but when it hit with Chase, that was close to home with me because he was in my daycare and I knew him personally. I’m more aware of it now and I know that there’s a lot of people because of chase that started doing the marathon, that started doing the 5ks, that started getting their children involved with it.
“The little boy today, Deuce, he’s fighting for a year with leukemia. It’s sad that it’s grown, to be honest, in my opinion because it’s more children that continue to have cancer. We have to do things like this so they can find cures.”
As the years go by and fewer people around will have known Bailey personally, Carter said he will think of ways to tell his story.
“It reminds me that his memory lives on,” said Carter of the lemonade stand and bake sale. “Everybody gathered together and raised money for St. Jude. I think that’s very beautiful how it spreads through Clarksdale. We need to all remember how he’s impacted lives. He showed us what true courage is in the face of death and cancer. He reminds us of Joshua 1:9 – Be strong and courageous and the Lord, your God, is with you always. You’ve just got to remember that God is with you. You don’t have to be afraid about anything.”
Tiffney also stressed the importance of letting young children know about Bailey.
“I will always do this every year for Chase,” she said. “We’ll always have the Chase Bailey lemonade stand. We’ve released balloons before on his death date. I always think of that and text his mom (Tracey), of course, but, yes, we need more things so we can keep his memory alive.”
Tiffney estimated it costs $2.8 million a day to run St. Jude and the fundraisers pay for things such as school supplies, hospital stays and little red wagons for children who go to chemotherapy.
“This is a collective thing, so everybody across the country that does a St. Jude fundraiser, the money goes to St. Jude,” she said. “It all boils in together.”
