A WALK IN THE PARK AT SIX FLAGS

This past Thursday, I went to SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN and it was FABULOUS! I hadn’t been to an amusement park in ages. I used to love to hit theme parks for a day of thrills, fun and crappy fried foods, but as I’ve gotten older just the thought of the upside down roller coasters, spinny/twisty rides and funnel cake makes me feel a little bit queasy.

BUT when my new friend Scott Lazerson called and asked me if I wanted to be a part of A WALK IN THE PARK AT SIX FLAGS, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Scott is a full time philanthropist who is making a difference across the globe with his love and passion for a better world. I feel so fortunate to have met him. He has helped me find an outlet to make a difference in children’s lives worldwide.

Scott introduced me to CURE KIDS CANCER, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and saving the lives of children with cancer by raising funds for local pediatric programs. The 170 CURE KIDS CANCER hospitals provide diagnosis, life-saving cancer treatments, cutting edge research and pediatric cancer education programs that help children with cancer and their families find hope for the future. For more information please visit www.cure-kids-cancer.org

SIX FLAGS theme parks and CURE KIDS CANCER have joined together to raise awareness and funding for childhood cancers. A WALK IN THE PARK AT SIX FLAGS will take place at all SIX FLAGS theme parks nationwide on September 6th and 7th. During that weekend, steps will be taken to raise money so that one day our world will be cancer free. The parks will also open their gates to children fighting cancer in an effort to rekindle life’s thrills and ignite hope among childhood cancer patients.

Me and many other celebrity ambassadors came together at MAGIC MOUNTAIN to shoot a PSA commercial for A WALK IN THE PARK AT SIX FLAGS. I may not be a big name celeb, BUT my passion and commitment to children’s issues make finding a cure for pediatric cancers a cause that is very close to my heart.

Thursday morning, my friend Ina and I headed up the freeway to Valencia. We parked in the sprawling parking lot next in the Daffy Duck section and headed towards the park. My heart fluttered with excitement not only for a fun day riding rides, but also for being a part of something meaningful and important. In Bugs Bunny World, the kid’s section of the park, we met up with Scott, the WALK IN THE PARK staff, the other celebrity ambassadors (Michael Maloney from Extreme Home Makeover, Marla Maples, Courtenay Semel and more) and the childhood cancer ambassadors (kid’s fighting cancer), Cheyanne and Dylan.

After the introductions, we set out to ride the rides. I became good friends with Cheyanne Eller, a 13-year old girl currently in remission from leukemia. Hand in hand, we ran from ride to ride and the smile never left her face. We rode the mini-roller coaster 12 times (no joke), made the Yosemite Sam airplanes whirl around in the sky (she loved to feel the wind in her hair that had just grown back after her chemotherapy), bounced on Sylvester’s pounce and rode the trucks at Taz’s Trucking Co. It was amazing to see the pure joy and happiness in her eyes and it was so touching that on this day she just got to be a regular kid without the stress of hospitals, chemo and pills.

I took a break from the rides to film my lines for the PSA commercial and radio-thon to air in September (Watch out for it and be sure to make a pledge)!

Then, I headed back to the rides. Dylan, the other child cancer ambassador stuck mostly by his mom, dad and older brother. He is a 5-year old brain tumor survivor who recently finished his chemotherapy. So far, he has shown no cancerous re-growth or residual tumors of any kind. Dylan and I had a long chat about super heroes and the Super Friends. He touched my heart when he told me that he wished he was Superman because Superman can survive fire and doesn’t even get hurt or scared. To me, Dylan is the true super hero! He became more comfortable with me and sat next to me on the flying bus. We also practiced making bubbles with our bubble gum together. He’s the sweetest thing!

Before lunch Ina, Michael, Dylan’s mom and I snuck away to ride Tatsu, one of the biggest roller coaster in the park (You cant come all the way to Magic Mountain and not ride one of the roller coasters)! We sat in the front row seats, strapped ourselves in (tight) and zipped away. Tatsu is SCARY! You lie flat like you’re flying and drop down 263-foot plunges, huge spirals and sharp dives. My eyes were watering from the sheer speed (62 mph) and my heart was pounding out of my chest. When I got off, my legs were shaky and my stomach queasy! One roller coaster a day is enough for me!

We ate lunch at the cyber café (no funnel cakes! I had a salad and salt and vinegar chips), rode a couple more rides with the kids then headed home so as to miss the traffic on the 405 (There is always the worst traffic on the freeways in LA)!

Instead of leaving MAGIC MOUNTAIN queasy like I have in the past from all the spinning rides, I left feeling hopeful for a cure for kid’s cancer and excited about A WALK IN THE PARK AT SIX FLAGS on September 6th and 7th.