On a late August morning, families lined the Capitola Wharf with fishing poles in hand, waiting to see who might catch the biggest fish, the smallest fish or the most fish of the day.
For KoaStrong Childhood Cancer Prevention Organization, however, the first KoaStrong Fishing Derby was about much more than fishing. It was about a little boy named Koa.
Koa Pagán loved to fish. He fished close to home, on family trips and anywhere he could drop a line in the water. And he fished from the Capitola Wharf with his family.
Those ordinary days became treasured memories after Koa died from acute myeloid leukemia in April 2020, just before his ninth birthday.
KoaStrong was founded by his family to answer the question: Why are children getting cancer, and what can be done to prevent it?
Much of the childhood cancer conversation begins after a child has already been diagnosed. KoaStrong is working to move that conversation upstream.
The nonprofit focuses on childhood cancer prevention and early detection by supporting research and initiatives that seek to understand why cancer develops in children and young adults, identifying preventable risk factors and exposures.
That includes research into environmental and parental exposures. The organization supports scientific research, education and advocacy for preventing childhood cancer and emerging approaches such as genomic newborn screening.
Koa’s mother and KoaStrong founder, Lisa Pagán, emphasizes the distinction:
“We will always need better treatments for children who have cancer,” Pagán said. “But we are also asking why children are developing cancer in the first place. We need research focused on prevention, and better ways to identify risk and disease earlier.”
Bringing KoaStrong›s first fishing derby to the Capitola Wharf was intentional. Koa enjoyed fishing on that wharf. It represents fond, happy family memories. It is a place connected to his precious childhood.
The location also offered something important to KoaStrong: an opportunity to create new memories for other families.
The Aug. 30 derby was free and open to the community. Children, parents and experienced anglers could all participate. Fish were weighed and recorded as part of the competition, with awards for the biggest, smallest and most fish caught.
Capitola Candy Co. and other merchants embraced our fishing derby with donated prizes and giveaways. Capitola Boat and Bait provided encouragement, expertise and prizes.
A “one that got away” moment occurred when two of Koa’s childhood friends partnered to land what was clearly going to be the largest catch of the day. After nearly two hours of being pulled halfway around the wharf by this mystery fish, the boys caught a glimpse of the giant ray that ultimately snapped their line.
But competition was secondary. The point was to get families outside together in celebration of Koa.
There is something particularly fitting about doing so on the Capitola Wharf. For generations, fishing has been part of the wharf’s history and the community surrounding it. Families still arrive early with poles and tackle, continuing a tradition that has long been part of Capitola.
For KoaStrong, that history provided the perfect setting for something new.
KoaStrong was created out of profound loss, but its work is deliberately focused on the future. The goal is to make sure researchers are asking the right questions concerning early detection and prevention.
That philosophy has become the foundation of KoaStrong: Screen Early. Detect Fast. Prevent More. Protect Always.
And sometimes advancing that mission looks like laboratories, research studies and policy discussions. Sometimes it looks like a fishing pole.
The Capitola event also marked the beginning of the KoaStrong Fishing Series, inspired by places where Koa himself loved to fish. The organization plans to use fishing events to bring communities together while introducing more families to the idea of childhood cancer prevention and early detection.
For a mother who knows how precious those ordinary moments can become, that may have been the most meaningful part of the August day.
KoaStrong hopes the Fishing Derby will become another reason for families to return to the Capitola Wharf — to cast a line, spend a morning together and perhaps learn something they had never considered before: The fight against childhood cancer shouldn’t wait to begin with a diagnosis.
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Learn more about KoaStrong Childhood Cancer Prevention Organization at www.koastrong.org.