Ride to Conquer cancer
Toronto - niagara falls, on
June 12-13, 2010 | June 13-14, 2009 | june 21-22, 2008
Ride to Conquer cancer
Toronto - niagara falls, on
June 12-13, 2010 | June 13-14, 2009 | june 21-22, 2008
I’ve always enjoyed a bike ride ever since I was a young boy and riding along with my friends. But it was more of a second nature to me, being a young kid with his bike and roaming the neighbourhood. It was not until now, years after that first time I pedaled away, that my interest could take on a higher meaning, a much meaningful and important purpose - this time, I’m riding for people’s lives.
This event will help fund the ongoing research to find a cure and also our way of thanking the surgeons and the medical and support staff of Princess Margaret and Mount Sinai Hospitals who cared for my wife.
I did this ride again on June 13-14, 2009 along with 3,530 other cyclists and raised $14.5 million! My last year to participate was on June 12-13, 2010 along with 4,108 cyclists and raised more than $16.1 million.
Each person at the event had their reasons to ride. Mine was for my wife, Elsa, who was a four-time breast cancer survivor! You wouldn’t know it when you saw and talked to her because she was a fun, loving and beautiful person, inside and out, very outgoing and with a real passion for life. She always looked after your best interest, often times before her own, even though she battled the disease since February 1996! When you’re stricken with this illness, your whole life is changed - forever. You keep hoping and praying that someday a cure will be made to finally end this disease.
In August of 2013, her breast cancer metastasized to her lungs and cancer fluid nodules were drained from her right lung. It was stage 4 by that time but we didn’t know that was the case since she was still stronger in 2014. However, in early 2015, the cancer had spread to her spine and had surgery (Kyphoplasty) to strengthen her fractured bones. She progressively weakened as breathing became more difficult. Cancer nodules continued to build up in her lungs once more and fluids were drained (Thoracentesis) from her lungs eight (8) times that year! Sadly, after a lengthy battle, my dear, gentle, and loving wife lost her fight and passed away in the early morning of December 15, 2015. (Click her picture above for her tribute site). Earlier that same year (2015), two other loved ones lost their fight to cancer - my brother, Michael, on March 2nd and my best friend, George Chan, on June 26th.
In 2023, two more loved ones were stricken with this illness - my sister, Suzanne with breast cancer and my father, Manuel with prostate cancer. My sister finished her rounds of chemo and radiation and hopefully on her road to a full recovery. Unfortunately in October 2023, my Dad also lost his battle from small cell prostate cancer, an aggressive and advanced type of cancer.
Thank you to everyone who has been with us and helped raise the funds which allowed me to participate on three consecutive years of this event and to continue with cancer research. Someday, we’ll all be riding to a better tomorrow!
-Marc