A poker run named for a Rossville boy who died of leukemia is revving up to raise money Saturday for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, said organizer Lisa Conaway.

The Daegen James Feyh Memorial Poker Run for Cancer Research will begin with a check-in at 10 a.m. at American Legion Riders Post 400, on US-24 highway west of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant. The entry fee is $20 for the first hand, and $10 for each additional hand.

The run is named in honor of Daegen Feyh, the 4-year-old son of Lance and Janelle Feyh who died July 17, 2005, of acute myelogenous leukemia.

The run will begin at the American Legion post with stops at Blind Tiger in Topeka, Puffy’s Steak House in Maple Hill, Ramblers in Manhattan and Ramblers in Wamego before ending at 5 p.m. at Hooters in Topeka. The band No Sympathy will provide music at Hooters.

Each participant gets a map of the route and designated restaurant stops along the way. At each restaurant, a participant draws a card. At the end of the course, the rider with the best poker hand wins 30 percent of the proceeds.

This is the second year American Legion Riders Post 400 has sponsored the poker run.

Conaway said the money raised from the poker run will go into Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s research fund. Last year’s run raised $1,100 and had 35 participants. This year, the goal is to double the number of participating vehicles.

Every five minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies.

n Leukemia causes more deaths among children than any other cancer.

n Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors, such as smoking, diet, occupation and exposure to cancer-causing agents. The cause of most childhood cancers in unknown.

n About 70 percent of children with cancer participate in research trials, compared to 3 percent of adult cancer patients. Thus, many of the advances in adult cancer treatments are due to breakthroughs in childhood cancer research.