Samantha Dacong waited in line with her father to board Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s newest ride on Friday morning.
“I was nervous,” the 12-year-old Sacramento girl said.
One of the first people to experience the new ride, Samantha was strapped in as the Dare Devil Chaos Coaster began to swing back and forth before going on full rotations.
“It made my stomach jump. It was really jumpy and awesome!” she said. “It was fun.”
Samantha and five other children and their families were part of St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which announced its partnership with Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at the Friday event.
“These are the real daredevils,” Robyn Raphael of the foundation said. “Each and every day they face their disease with bravery.”
Like Samantha, the children at Friday’s event have fought, or are still fighting, cancer.
Samantha was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, more than three years ago. She went through treatment, including an amputation, and is now under observation.
“Events like this make her feel really special,” her father, Steven Dacong, said. “It takes the kids’ minds off of their illness.
“We are here for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. We love what it stands for,” Dacong added.
The Monrovia-based foundation began in 2005 and is a volunteer-driven organization with a goal to fund research to find cures for childhood cancer.
In addition to the Friday event, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom will be hosting a head shaving fund-raising event for the foundation at 11:30 a.m, June 27.
“We want people to raise and come together to shave their heads,” Raphael said.
To set an example, the park’s Director of Marketing Kirk Smith stepped up and had his head shaved on Friday.
“By taking on this challenge, (people) can truly show solidarity for kids with cancer,” park President Don McCoy said.
For those who want to keep their hair, they can contribute to the cause with donations.
For more information and to register for the event, visit www.stbaldricks.org/events/sixflagsdk.
Dare Devil Chaos Coaster is a 70-foot tall looped track with face-to-face seats. The ride swings back and forth a few times until momentum takes the riders on full inversions. It is open to the public Saturday.
For more information about the park, visit www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom.
Contact Irma Widjojo at 707-553-6835. —— (c)2015 Times-Herald (Vallejo, Calif.) Visit Times-Herald (Vallejo, Calif.) at www.timesheraldonline.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. AMX-2015-05-23T00:01:00-04:00
