LEWISTON - He's accomplished a lot by his first birthday, which helps if you're fictional and have superpowers. But a Lewiston a man, his disease, and his art are changing the cancer fight in the Valley, the northwest, and with any luck, the world.

"A year ago, he came to one of the support group meetings and he had these sketches and this idea," said cancer support group member Amanda Six.

An idea nobody else knew about. Now an idea no one, at least in this group, can do without.

"If he doesn't show up at a group meeting, everybody wants to know where Ty is and what's going on with Captain Cure," said cancer survivor Al Banta.

Captain Cure; the sickly kid by day, and cancer-butt-kicking superhero by night. Last week, the comic that features the superhero turned 1, and his creator said he always hoped, but never thought, it would be received to the tune of 3,500 sold nationwide.
"It just amazing that this book has touched so many lives and helped so many people through the process of cancer," said Captain Cure creator Ty Wakefield. "That was the whole point of the book, was to give some inspiration, a little love to those who really are down and dealing with cancer."

Six describes Wakefield as "just a big kid", tragically fitting, considering the Lewiston artist three years ago was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, an aggressive cancer usually found in children.

Between stints at hospitals in Lewiston and Seattle Wakefield has joined the fundraising circuit for the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation, never letting his super villain get the best of him.

Six, who lost her mom to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Banta, a renal cancer survivor facilitate the Livestrong Cancer Support Group in Lewiston.

They said a side-effect of Wakefield's efforts is an increased awareness in the Valley.

"Ty has that personality that everybody enjoys him, and it's just amazing, his energy and everything he's involved in," said Banta.

"I work at a pre-school during the week, and I've taken the comic book in there," said Six. "It's kind of neat being able to sit down with the kids and talk to them about what cancer is and how you treat it."

In the comic soon-to-be-released second edition titled "Metastasis," cancer returns bigger and stronger than before sporting a new ally, "Pain"

"We have a new hero that walks onto the screen," said Wakefield. "Retied Dr. Rooney used to be my oncologist, so I bought him into the comic book. He has his own superhero by the name of Doc Rubinson, which is a cancer treatment drug. He now makes his appearance as well."

Wakefield said when he's not taking the fight to real life, he working on comic number 3.

And since he bears such a striking resemblance, I had to ask: Is Ty Wakefield Captain Cure?

"I am not Captain Cure," said Wakefield. "Captain Cure is clean shaven and doesn't have any hair, but I know him quite well, he is doing well, and he's out there right now protecting everyone from cancer."