NKCR Sept 20, 2017 – Edmonston to Woodstock – For James

Today dawned foggy, and we were in for a long ride. One of the longest on the National Kids Cancer Ride. And we knew it would be hilly.

Today’s ride was for James. James’ story hits close to home, as Gord, James’ dad, was our RV driver for much of the trip. James was an 8 year old little boy who had an incredible heart, beautiful smile and an immense laughter. He was a number one fan of Thomas the tank engine and spent hours with his Thomas collection . In August 2011 he was diagnosed with disseminated low grade glioma (brain and spinal cord tumours). His disease did not define him, but it was how he dealt with his disease that defined him. He had nine months of chemo, many brain surgeries, suffered a serious seizure that caused him to go into coma and be admitted to ICU with a respirator. On April 17, 2013 James passed away surround with the love, hugs and kisses of his mom, dad and sister, Mary. I will be honored to carry Thomas the Tank Engine in honor of James on the ride tomorrow from Moncton to Charlottetown. 

Ken Cross, my friend and RV mate, read a story for James’ dedication which was a letter from James from heaven. As we were the Braveheart Bus II this year, Ken did the dedication in kilt and Braveheart face paint. It was a beautiful moment, and very sad, and you could see the pain etched in Gord’s face even today. These kinds of stories are the things that define us on this ride, giving us the strength to ride and to work to raise funds and awarenes to end this horrible disease. While the mortality rates have gone down, there are still far too many stories like James’ story for us to bear. Another incredibly sad moment happened at lunch today, when we learned that Greta, a girl for whom we had sent a stuffed bear back to Calgary by Fedex just a few short days ago had passed away in the morning. She was a friend of fellow rider Taylor, and we are deeply saddened by her loss. 

The first part of the ride was foggy and quiet, which fit the somber mood after the dedication. I didn’t feel like talking and reflected on my own thoughts for a while. The night before I had been having some fun with my son Galen texting back and forth about silly stuff, and after we were done, I felt a little sad that friends like Fiona, Gord and Lynn don’t have the opportunity to joke with their children as I was with my son. I am blessed to have healthy children, but the ride has changed my outlook forever and I feel for my NKCR family that has lost loved ones, or had to have them suffer the ravages of the disease and it’s cures.

Later in the morning the conditions and the mood lightened, and we had a good ride through the rolling hills that are New Brunswick. We had a minor detour due to a washed out road, and a pretty significant and steep climb (with gradients up to 20%) as a result. I was a little worried about how my legs and body would respond after my bout with dehydration, but I stayed on top of things in terms of fluid and nutrition intake and other than a little bit of slowness early on in the day, things went without a hitch. The remainder of the day passed fairly uneventfully, although we had plenty of opportunities for pictures of the surrounding area, and a trip across Harland Bridge, the longest covered bridge in the world. The scenery along the St. John River where we rode today was beautiful. We finished our ride in Woodstock, with showers and dinner at the local high school, and then off for our regular routine, shutlling to our stop in Moncton, NB, where I will have a chance to meet up with my little brother at the high school there. He is bringing a card from his students for Becca Schofield (#BeccaToldMeTo) and it will be good to catch up.

Here are a few pictures from the daty. Until Tomorrow, Rich Meesters.