NKCR Sept 17 2017 – Barrie to Sick Kids – for Taissa

What an incredible day. The day dawned clear and cool, and started with some time for family and friends as my wife Janet and son Galen, friends from Crossfit Indestri; Sandy, Scott, Kailie, Steve and Linda, and my brother in law Lloyd dropped by to see us off. And of course, Astrid.
It was wonderful to have these guys there to see how our day starts and to hear what goes on in the morning. We deidicated this ride to Taissa. Taissa is the daugher of my dear friend Ulana, who is a force of nature, and one of the first National Riders that I met. It is no stretch to say that Ulana is one of the main reasons I am on this ride, her passion for the cause and the kids is so evident, and she is an inspiration to me.
Taissa was a beautiful 13 year old girl filled with hope, strength, courage and determination. When she was born she had complications and her parents were told she would never walk or talk. Defying doctors Taissa grew up walking, talking, running and dancing, skiing, skating, laughing and loving. In April of 2000 at the age of 12 she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma – a parents worst nightmare becoming a reality. During her treatments her parents prayed she kept her somewhat feisty yet carefree spirit. Her parents stood by her side as she fought her battle for, and of, her life. Although there were numerous miracles along the way that restored her energy and spirit, sadly they did not last. Taissa passed away on Thursday, March 29, 2001 at the age of 13
After dedication, we began our ride, and as expected it did not disappoint. I believe Ron Mitchell is evil, as he loves to put a good climb after a rest stop, and we had some significant “ups” after our first stop in Beeton. My comment to team “Bacon a Difference” was that we had done more vertical before lunch today than we did crossing Manitoba 🙂
After an incredible lunch, and a $20,000 donation (!) by the team at the SLH/Sears distribution centre in Vaughn, we headed down to Sherway Gardens to meat up with Team 2. The crowd at both the Vaughn Distribution Centre and Sherway Gardens was incredible – so great to see so many people turn out to cheer us in (and out). It was a surprise to meet my friend and great photographer Patricia Homylo Seaton there, and I also had a chance to meet up with Ulana, who would ride with us to Sick Kids.
Leaving Sherway, we had a police escort, all the way to Sick Kids. We rode non stop, without any traffic down Lakeshore Avenue and up University. It was, in a word, surreal. Also a lot of fun. Thanks to the Toronto Police Force for their work in getting us safely across and up to Sick Kids. We were a sea of red, and so many people were taking photos, videos, and cheering us.
We had a great presentation at Sick Kids, with the emphasis on how far treatments have progressed, from radiation and chemotherapy, to medications tailored to each patiient. What we are doing, raising funds for research and building awareness, plays an integral part in making that happen.
Before showers I also got a bit of time to connect with my daughter Katerina as she had a brief break from her part time job. It was wonderful just to sit and talk for a bit. Then it was off for showers, and now back in the RV for a short (this time) shuttle. It’s hard to believe that in less than 1 week, this will be over, and I will be on my way home. But the fight and fundraising will go on. Please consider donating at virtualnationalkidscancerride.greatfeats.com/rich-meesters (2018 link)
Until next time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NKCR Sept 14 2017 – Atikokan to Thunder Bay

Image
Today’s ride was a nice change after a few days of flat riding. The flat roads gave way to the rolling hills of Northern Ontario, and it was a nice change to be able to work up hills and spin quickly down them. Our route began with a shuttle from Atikokan to Quetico, where we began our ride, ending (briefly) at Shabaqua’s Oskonda River Outfitters for a nice lunch and some incredible pie and butter tarts. We then shuttled ahead a bit to save some time and finished with a police escort into the Terry Fox Memorial in Thunder Bay.     For James \  Our day was dedicated to Alex, who was taken from us too soon at the age of 11. Alex began feeling unwell in March 2007, and through tests it was discovered he had osteosarcoma, bone cancer, in his left thigh. Alex went through ten months of chemotherapy and surgeries including replacing his femur with a metal rod, and replacing his knee. He had a second surgery in November to address additional mestasized tumors in his angle, right hip an
Read more

NKCR Sept 16 2017 – Echo Bay to Spanish – #BeccaToldMeTo

Image
Our ride today is dedicated to Grant an extremely focused, intelligent, athletic and caring 15 year old boy. In February 2011 his parents received a call to go to the children’s hospital immediately as blood tests showed he had leukemia. He responded well to treatment and his attitude during the whole thing was inspirational. He was in remission within 3 weeks of treatmen t and was able to attend his grade 9 grad. Throughout the treatment the isolation was tough due to his weakened immune system, but he managed to stay in touch with friends through Skype and texts. After returning home from camp kindle he began experiencing aches and pains again and on August 15th was diagnosed with AML, which required him to be hospitalized for long periods of time due to the treatment. He developed breathing problems and was forced into the ICU for two weeks. New bumps were starting to form on his skin and he was diagnosed with a third cancer, skin cancer. On September 16, 2011 surrounded by family
Read more

NKCR Sept 15 2017 – Marathon to Wawa – It’s not about the ride, it’s about why we ride

Image
Today we began our day in Marathon with a planned route to Wawa. We had pretty severe weather during the night – hard rain, with an incredible lightning show during our night time shuttle, and I can say that as we went to bed, it’s not often that you feel thunder rather than hearing it. The morning dawned wet, cool and foggy. After the group sang “Happy Birthday” to Shelley’s son Chassie, we decided after breakfast to shuttle to our first rest stop to begin our ride, and then after lunch in White River we decided it would be safer and more timely to shuttle to Wawa rather than riding further. In total, we covered 52 km in a little over two hours on the road this morning. We were all damp and a little cold at lunch. But it’s not about the ride, it’s about why we ride. We are out there to spread the word about childhood cancer, and to raise funds. This incredible team is here because of their life experiences; most of us have been touched in some way by this terrible disease, eith
Read more