NASCAR couple holds charity event for children's hospital

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An annual charity event organized by a NASCAR driver and his girlfriend made sure that Wednesday night belonged to the young faces of cancer, each one fighting the disease at Levine Children's Hospital.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised for Levine Children's Hospital at Catwalk for a Cause, set up by Martin Truex Jr. and his longtime girlfriend, Sherry Pollex.
 
The event had a special significance for Pollex this year, because she is now battling cancer herself.
 
Initially, doctors thought the 36-year-old had cysts, but when she pushed for more answers, doctors discovered that it was ovarian cancer.
 
"It was sometime in May. I remember just feeling tired and super bloated; something wasn't right," Pollex said.
 
She immediately went through surgery and six months of chemotherapy.
 
"I feel great. I feel wonderful. I have my days where I feel achy and don't feel like my old self, but my old self isn't here anymore," Pollex said.
 
Wednesday's benefit goes a long way for the children, but perhaps even more for Pollex. 
 
"It's different to stand up and be an advocate for those children when you don't know what they've been through. But to stand up there and be an advocate for them after you know how hard chemotherapy and cancer is is totally different," Pollex said.
 
Pollex added that she wanted the event to be a time for the children to forget about their cancer and being sick.

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