Situ
\i!
Ben pauses a moment In zipping around on the Gator to pose with his family—his
mom and dad, David and Kelly, sister Megan, and Bailey.
Despite Leg Loss,
Ben Keeps Farming
JOYCE BUPP
York Co. Correspondent
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md.
From the farm where 11-year-old
Ben Keyes lives, you can see the
waters where the Susquehanna
River meets the Chesapeake Bay.
Ben’s family operates ML Felix
Dairy Farm, chi the edge of the
town of Havre de Grace. The
Keyes family includes his parents,
David and Kelly, and his nine
year-old sister, Megan.
Like most farm kids, Ben
enjoys helping to milk and care for
their 90 Holstein dairy cows and
their calves and working with his
dad at farm chores, including his
very favorite, driving a tractor. He
also enjoys sports, especially
soccer.
One thing Ben does do dif
ferently than most farm kids is to
take crutches along when he goes
to the bam. That’s because a few
months ago, part of Ben’s left leg
was amputated, or removed by
ids,,
surgery, after he got bone cancer.
While playing soccer at school
early last September, Ben fell and
hit his knee against the wall of the
Meadowvale Elementary School
gym, where he was in fifth grade.
His knee became very sore and
after several weeks, developed a
large growth, or tumor.
On December 1, Ben’s doctor
took X-rays of his knee and told
his family that Ben had cancer.
Three days later, on his dad’s
birthday, Ben went to Johns
Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for
mote tests.
“The doctor said I had to use a
cane to walk because he didn’t
want me to fall and break a bone,
which might make my cancer
spread,” Ben says. Ben used the
cane a little bit but decided that
crutches were more “cool.”
Because of the danger of injury
in school activities, Ben stopped
attending School and is doing all
his classwork at home. His mother
is his teacher and she does make
him do homework.
Before they knew about his
cancer, Ben’s parents had orderd a
John Deere Gator, a 6-wheeled
vehicle, that was to be a surprise
for Christmas. The Gator was
delivered one day while Ben was
at the bam with his dad, after his
cancer had been found. It turned
out to be the perfect “farm truck”
for Ben, who was no longer allow
ed to ride his bike around the
farm.
The day after Christmas, Ben
began chemotherapy, or chemical
treatment to destroy the cancer
cells. A reaction to Ben’s treat
ments caused him to develop a
fever and his parents had to rush
him to the hospital in the middle
of last January’s heavy blizzard.
After a series of treatments, Ben
had surgery on his knee. His doc
tors replaced his knee and part of
his leg bone with artificial
replacements. But his cancer
spread; and in June, Ben’s doctors
told him they would have to
remove his leg above the knee. “It
was scary,” he sayd.
After his leg surgery, Ben’s
doctors fitted him with an artifi
cial leg. He returns to Hopkins
every few days for blood testing
and physical therapy.
After he has his schoolwork fin
ished, Ben spends some of his
time helping his dad and likes to
ride with him to go for equipment
parts. He also enjoys having
friends visit and spend time play
ing around the farm with him. Ben
has figured out how to play soccer
on his crutches and usually beats
the rest of his family when they go
to play miniature golf. Wherever
Ben goes, “Bailey,” his chocolate
Labrador Retriever, will be right
beside him. Bailey especially likes
to ride with Ben on the Gator.
Ben is a Baltimore Orioles
baseball fan. In May, the Grant-A-
Wish organization arranged for
his whole family to be special
or*ie
Ben’s constant companion around the Keyes farm la
Bailey, the family’s chocolate Labrador Retriever.
guests at an Orioles game at Cam
den Yards Stadium. During their
visit, they were taken onto the
field and also spent time with
Orioles player Cal Ripken, Jr.
“He was nice,” Ben says of the
well-known ball player. And just
recently, Ben received from Cal
Ripken, an autographed Louis
ville-Slugger baseball bat. It came
in the protective covering of a
long, white tube sock, which Ben
jokes might have been one of
Ripken’s.
Ben and Megan are both in 4-H
and show their dairy heifers at the
Harford County Fair. Last year, he
was the junior champion winner in
fitting and showmanship classes.
He owns several cows and calves
in the Mt. Felix herd.
Two years ago, Ben also began
showing pigs in 4-H. He named
his two Hampshire pigs for this
year’s project Tom and Nancy,
after two of his doctors at Hop-
drive the John Deere 520 very carefully around the circle
driveway. Driving a tractor la his favorite thing to do at the
farm.
V
IS
thought it was neat to have 4-H
pigs named for them. A friend
showed Ben’s pigs for him at the
fair this year and Tom (the pig)
won a giant trophy for having the
best daily weight gain. Nancy also
did well in her showing class.
At the livestock auction held at
the. Halford Fair, so many people
bid on Tom that he finally brought
$26 per pound, or nearly $6,000.
And then the construction com
pany owner who bought Tom
gave him back. Many of the other
4-H members also donated part of
the sale of their animals toward
the very expensive cost of Ben’s
cancer treatments and the nine
surgeries he has had in the last
year.
Ben very much enjoys receiv
ing cards and hearing from other
kids (and adults, too). If you
would like to send Ben a card,
mail to to Ben Keyes, 2028 Level
Road, Havre De Grace, MD