BY SARA WARD
“Three, two, one.” Looking up towards the Volusia County Courthouse, cancer survivor Rick O’Neill starts the 2025 MeStrong race with 6,400 people on Feb 1. O’Neill is a DeLand resident of 41 years, and worked locally for 31 years at Boulevard Tire Center as the BTS Operations manager. In 2024, he started having knee problems. The doctors found a tumor in his right knee, diagnosing him with a rare type of soft tissue cancer called clear cell sarcoma.
Tuesday, Feb. 4 marked six months from his surgery that amputated his leg. “A lot of it’s indescribable to me,” O’Neill said. “To be there as a survivor and know what so many other people have gone through for so long, you can just see how this community comes together for people.” Jackie Wardwell, O’Neill’s life partner, told The Beacon that he remotely went back to work just two weeks after having his surgery. “Everything he puts his hands on he’s dedicated to,” Wardwell said. “He loves his friends and family.”
There were 172 people registered under team “O’Neill Strong.” This crew consisted of a wide range of people including friends, family, old football teammates and Theta Chi fraternity brothers. “He’s my buddy,” Mona Rooker— who babysat O’Neill’s kids— said.
The outpour of support meant the world to him, O’Neill said. “You know, everybody talks about making friends along the way,” he said. “I just feel so blessed by all the people that I’ve gotten to know over such a long period of time, and how a lot of them came back.”
All the donations and shirt proceeds go straight to the clear cell sarcoma foundation. Next year, O’Neill has even bigger plans. “Now I look forward to walking it next year,” O’Neill said. “Just continuing to get better at walking and being ready to go for it.”
Images below are BEACON PHOTOS/MARSHA MCLAUGHLIN
