Be Kind: Delaware 8-year-old combines love of rollercoasters with mission to raise cancer awareness

NEWARK, Delaware (WPVI) -- Eight-year-old Caleb Quick of Newark, Delaware loves rollercoasters starting with the unmistakable 'click, click, click' of the incline.

"I think like, "Hey, we're about to go down," said Caleb.

Then come the drops and the loops.

"It's so fun!" Caleb said.

Now Caleb, his six brothers and sisters, and his parents have combined his love of rollercoasters with their mission to raise awareness about pediatric cancer. Even big sister Chara, who's afraid of heights, is in.

"We need to figure out a way to let the families know, 'Hey, you're not alone. We faced this. We are doing this to help you'," said 14-year-old Chara Quick.

Caleb was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020, less than a year after his father, John, battled melanoma.

Caleb underwent chemotherapy for more than two years.

Both father and son are now cancer-free.

"Seeing the way their dad's diagnosis and Caleb's diagnosis affected them, it changes you. And so many people when they go through something hard, it hardens their heart," said mom Naomi Quick. "Instead, they all allowed watching suffering to make them more compassionate and kind."

At the end of his Make-a-Wish trip last fall, Caleb was gifted a passport of free admission to participating amusement parks for one year.

Around New Year's, Naomi suggested the children come up with a list of goals for 2023.

Among the list of goals for 11-year-old Grace: riding 100 different rollercoasters in 2023.

An idea was born.

Calling their adventure, 'Quick Coasters', the family highlights an organization that helped them with each park they visit.

"It helps people, and kids won't feel as alone, and all these organizations have really helped us," Grace said.

Organizations so far include The B+ Foundation, Landon Vargas Foundation, Little Hearts of Hope, Live Like Lukas Inc, Kisses for Kyle, and Project Outrun.

"We've went everywhere from Busch Gardens, Virginia to Valleyfair, Minnesota and everywhere in between. We've got 45 left," John said.

"What we need to do is raise awareness and let people know about the realities of childhood cancer in a way that doesn't induce fear necessarily, but shares the truth of what these warriors are going to through," Naomi said.

"We're not only raising awareness, which is so important to us, but we're also seeing them just be kids," Naomi said.

You can follow their quest on Instagram and Facebook on QuickCoasterAdventures.