Pinewood derby car run for Cub Scout in recovery from bone marrow transplant

DIXON – For each entrant in a pinewood derby, there’s the thrill of seeing that block of wood on wheels – now transformed by knife, sander and paint into the semblance of a race car – roll down an elevated track to the finish line.

For Cub Scouts, it’s a rite of passage really.

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A Cub Scout of Bear rank looks expectantly down the track for the start of the next race during the Cub Scout Pack 85 Pinewood Derby held Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Bethel Evangelical Congregational Church in Dixon. (Troy Taylor)

That is as true for the families involved as it is for the kids and grandkids in their cavalry blue shirts and neckties of blue, orange, yellow and plaid.

That tradition continued during the Cub Scout Pack 85 Derby held last Saturday at Bethel Evangelical Congregational Church in Dixon.

But for one family and one scout in particular, it was a different experience.

Yet, thanks to technology and modern medicine, what might otherwise be a missed opportunity enabled one Cub Scout to take part.

Ayden Arnold is an 11-year-old fifth grader at Reagan Middle School. He has aplastic anemia, a condition where the body stops producing new blood cells.

He is in recovery from a bone marrow transplant that took place last summer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

While he has received treatment and is in recovery, everyone agreed it was prudent for him not to attend the pinewood derby in person, so to avoid the crowd in a confined space.

Still, the derby car Ayden made was entered in the race: bright red, and inscribed with the words, “Thank You St. Jude.”

“It’s a special acknowledgement for the journey that he’s on,” said Katie Pierce, a Cub Scout leader who has been part of Ayden’s journey to achieve an Arrow of Light badge.

Since Ayden was diagnosed last March, Pierce said he has continued to participate in pack activities via Zoom.

It’s a special acknowledgement for the journey that he’s on.”

—  Den leader Katie Pierce

The pack has stepped up, too, holding fundraisers such as a “Donate while you dine” at the Dixon Culver’s to help defray travel costs for his transfusion and platelet treatments in Peoria.

Serving as a proxy racer was his father, Rueben. Rueben was conspicuous, wearing a bright red University of Wisconsin pullover and seated next to the other members of Pierce’s den of Webelos.

“It was neat racing for him,” Rueben said after watching his son’s car roll down the track alongside the others.

Ayden’s car didn’t win his heat, but that’s never the point of the pinewood derby anyway. It’s the accomplishment of crafting a car itself.

For the Arnolds, the pack is a family activity. Reuben and Jessica’s youngest son just started with a Lion den and their 8-year-old sister also participates. Ayden also has an older brother.

As for Ayden seeing the race, that was made possible through video. Cub Scout leader Jared Shroyer explained to the audience that each run down the track was recorded on a camera positioned at the finish line.

All the races, Ayden’s included, were uploaded and posted on the pack’s social media accounts. Later in the day, Jessica posted photos of Ayden with his trophies from the event.

Family members and pack leaders alike are hopeful Ayden will be able to participate in a crossing over ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday at the CDH Educational Center (formerly Lincoln Elementary School) in Dixon.

The ceremony is the occasion when Arrow of Light recipients “cross over” into beginning their journey with Boy Scouts of America.

Traditions differ by locale, but for this troop, a ceremonial bridge that can be erected indoors serves as the means by which a scout crosses over from the Cub Scout to the Boy Scout side.