"Live Like Bella Superhero 5K" lifts girl's legacy of inspiring others to help fight childhood cancer
OLYMPIA HEIGHTS — The legacy of Bella Rodriguez Torres lives on — 11 years after her battle with childhood cancer, the little girl is still inspiring others to help.
Around 1,600 people — many of them survivors of childhood cancer — ran in Saturday's "Live Like Bella Superhero 5K" at Tropical Park.
"A beautiful little girl named Bella lost her life to cancer and everyone here is fighting for a cure," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Bella died at just 10 years old after battling childhood cancer. In her young life, she inspired her family to help other kids like her.
"The Live Like Bella Foundation right now is focused on being advocates for childhood cancer research, for providing treatment support to families whose children are undergoing cancer and to help families cover costs of memorial services if, God forbid, their child passes of cancer," said Nicole de Lara Puente, the foundation's CEO.
Bella's dad Raymond told CBS News Miami Live Like Bella has raised more than $35 million to help families in 37 countries and across the U.S. And because of his little girl, they're making a real difference in the fight against childhood cancer.
"Of the many critical trials, 85 of them that Live Like Bella has been able to finance, there is one that is going to be published in the next few months and that is showing extraordinary promise and it happens to be right here in our community," he said.
The annual event also brings together families to honor children who have battled, survived or lost their lives to cancer.