August 21, 2015

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A s the Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock revs up for another year, the riders, communities and Junior Riders are all

getting excited.The long days, weeks and months of training are

coming to a head as the Sept. 19 launch of the two-week bicycle journey down Vancouver Island draws near.

While the cycling is hard, the police offi cers and media member who comprise the team know that in riding they are supporting, cheering and embracing those who have fought a much tougher journey in dealing with childhood cancer. But the riders also know that for these incredible children, a bright spot along this journey is Camp Goodtimes.

Camp Goodtimes, nestled beside a forest-ringed lake in the Fraser Valley, is described as an “unforgettable, empowering experience for children with cancer.” According to riders and campers, it’s so much more.

Desiree Young, a longtime Tour de Rock Junior Rider, is a 14-year-old who beat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She has been going to Camp Goodtimes for eight years. To her, it’s a “safe, accepting place,” somewhere to escape and have fun. Not only do the campers and their siblings get to enjoy all sorts of fun activities in a safe and welcoming environment, but parents get a chance to connect and talk about their family’s journey.

Desiree, whose nervousness about going to camp disappeared as soon as she saw the friendly, eager people there to greet her, says it’s vitally important for Tour de Rock riders to visit and see the power of

Camp Goodtimes and what it is that those riders are working towards as they sweat up and down the hills of Vancouver Island.

Saanich Police Reserve Sergeant Nick Mandryk, one of the riders on the 2015 Tour de Rock team, was thrilled at the opportunity to visit Camp Goodtimes earlier this year. Nick initially prepared himself to see kids in all stages of their cancer battle, but when he got to camp he was blown away

by the energy he encountered. “I see (Camp) as an essential thing that these kids need. It’s their avenue to feel normal,” says Nick. “Given what they and their families have gone through, this week is invaluable.”

Although the journeys for these children are all different, their enthusiasm for the Tour de Rock riders was evident.

“I was blindsided when the kids came out and freaked out, elated that we were there,” Nick says. “[They] all loved and embraced us and it’s given me

even more of a reason to ride.”Camp Goodtimes is so much more than an

experience. Camp is acceptance. Camp is hope. Camp is perspective.

Camp Goodtimes offers safety and hopeKIDS AND FAMILIESTOUCHED BY CANCERGET AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER EXPERIENCE

““I see (Camp) as an essential thing that

these kids need. It’s their avenue to feel normal. Given what they and

their families have gone through, this week

is invaluable.”

Support Cops for Cancer Tour de RockTo get involved, contact: Katie Crowe, Tour de Rock [email protected] | 250.592.2244

Donate Now & learn about the 2015 team at TourdeRock.ca

facebook.com/CopsTourdeRock

@TourdeRockand mention #forthekids

Thank you to our 2015Tour de Rock Sponsors

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The Westerly Hotel& Convention Centre

Cops for Cancer Tour de RockTourdeRock.ca • Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015

Why we ride…

Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015

I t has been 10 years since Emma Irwin found out her 10-week-old daughter Daisy had not one,

but two forms of leukemia. Emma, her husband Patrick and their older daughter Molly rallied around Daisy.

“We watched this smallest and sweetest of humans endure the fi ercest and cruelest of battles between doctors and disease,” says Emma.

Statistically, oncologists and cancer fundraising organizations often say 80 per cent of children’s cancers are curable. But those stats only mean a child has survived fi ve years after being diagnosed. Survival doesn’t always equate with being healthy, either.

“What people don’t understand,” says Emma, “is a cure doesn’t mean all better. Right now, cancer treatment is not a cure, it’s a trade-off.”

Daisy is now 10 years old, but life after chemotherapy hasn’t been easy for the little girl.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada says damage to the brain is common after chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.

Learning, memory and focusing issues can occur, as can other side effects such as missing teeth, alopecia, growth issues, seizures and secondary cancers.

“Daisy is in psychiatric care for symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder,” says Emma. “She was just a baby, but she remembers.”

Emma not only wants society to change the way we look at survivors, but also the way we treat them.

“Right now there is no support for survivors. There’s a real gap in our education system, not only for schools, but for parents, too.”

Emma would like to see some kind of a how-to guide for parents of childhood cancer survivors; a roadmap to help families navigate all of the bumps they will face as their children become adults.

“When Daisy was diagnosed I searched and searched for other families with babies fi ghting cancer; someone to connect with,” she says.

Emma now has a Facebook group with nearly 300 members. They represent families stricken with the extremely rare diagnosis of infant leukemia. “We are not seeing 80-per- cent cure rates, not even close. We lose a lot of babies. Among those who survive the fi ve-year mark, many are far from cured.”

As a parent of a childhood cancer survivor, Emma also wants the messaging around cancer fundraising to change. “Eighty per cent [cure rates are] a myth leading to reduced funding and complacency that children’s cancer is nearly cured, and worse, that cures mean all better. Until the cures stop being traumatic and poisonous and the creator of a new disease, there is no cure.”

Ten-year-old Daisy Irwin is a member of the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock Junior Rider team.

“It’s time to talk about what it means to survive.”

Life after cancer doesn’t mean ‘all better’CHILDREN CAN FACE CHALLENGES OF TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS WHILE IN REMISSION

SOUTH ISLANDGood Times Dance in SookeFriday, August 28 • 7:30 p.m. – 1 a.m.Dance the night away while enjoying the music of Phoenix. Tickets, $10 at Shoppers Drug Mart and Peoples Drug Store in Sooke. For more info [email protected] or call 250-886-2125.

Tour de Rock Fishing Derby at Pedder Bay MarinaSunday, August 30Prizes for largest fi sh & mystery weight! $50/rod (includes BBQ). Launch fee by donation. Rental boats & equipment available. Join us for just the BBQ for $15! Info & tickets: [email protected] or 250-920-6450.

Tour de Rock Red Serge Dinner in Shawnigan Wednesday, September 16 • Cocktails at 6pm, Dinner at 7pmJoin us at Shawnigan Lake School for a spaghetti dinner and silent auction hosted by the students and local RCMP! Tickets are $10. To reserve your tickets call 250-746-2315 or email [email protected].

MID ISLANDLoggers Sports for Tour de RockSunday, September 6 • 4 p.m.Come out for the Ladysmith Loggers Sports at the Transfer Beach amphitheatre. Bring your own lawn chair, blanket or stool. Admission is by donation.

Nanaimo Red Serge Tour de Rock DinnerSunday, September 27 • 5 p.m.Enjoy an amazing dinner, auctions, and raffl e with the Tour de Rock team. Tickets are $60 at Country Club Centre Lotto Booth, Coast Capital Savings or by emailing [email protected].

NORTH ISLAND6th Annual Sayward Fishing DerbySaturday, August 22 & Sunday, August 23Test your lines in the Johnstone Strait and see who can pull in the biggest catch. Info: Sandy Sanderson at [email protected].

Cups for Cancer Barrel Race at Comox Valley Fair Grounds August 29 - August 30 at 10 a.m.Riders of all ages and skill levels can compete for a great cause. For more info or to pre-register: Kandi Woods at 250.923.3941.

Pirates of the Caribbean II at the Best Western – The Westerly Hotel & Convention CentreWednesday, September 23 • 6 p.m.

Meet the Tour de Rock riders at this pirate-themed 6 course dinner with live band. Tickets, $60, at Best Westerly, Boston Pizza and RCMP offi ce. For more info, contact Lisa at 250-218-7158.

For a complete listing of all upcoming Tour deRock fundraising events visit TourdeRock.ca

Events CalendarUPCOMING TOUR DE ROCK FUNDRAISING EVENTS

Y ou don’t have to search hard to discover what motivates the Tour de Rock team to pedal 1000-

plus kilometres.Taped to the handlebars of their

bikes or etched into each rider’s mind you’ll fi nd the faces of the brave members of the Junior Rider team. Each one is a child with a history of cancer – some are currently fi ghting the disease, some are in remission, and some have unfortunately recently lost their battle – and each one is a reminder that our work isn’t anywhere near complete.

Rene Soto-Taylor and Lucas Wetklo are two Junior Riders who fall into the last category. Both young boys – Rene at age 9, and Lucas at age 7 – lost their fi ghts

this year.Both Rene and

Lucas were well-loved and active

members of the Junior team.

They loved spending

time on Tour

riding in

the police cars.“He loved the attention that was given

to him by the police offi cers, his riders. We think that he knew he was playing a role in the fi ght against cancer,” Julia Taylor says of her son Rene. “At the same time, he really enjoyed building these relationships and the encouragement that he got from the offi cers.”

That enjoyment is certainly a two-way street. In the Tour de Rock family, Rene and Lucas are both remembered for their positive and energetic personalities; Rene as the boy with the smile that could light up a room, and Lucas for his loving spirit and wonderfully big sense of humour.

Dr. Sheila Pritchard has been a pediatric oncologist at BC Children’s Hospital for three decades. She has seen fi rsthand children – members of our Junior Rider team – go through this painful cancer battle.

“It’s tough. You get to know them very well. It’s not the sort of specialty you can cut yourself off emotionally,” she says. “You have to be with this young patient and their

family on this whole journey. We’re all in it together.”

Because of her experience as a pediatric oncologist, Pritchard has also seen how cancer treatments have improved since her work began. There are new and better chemotherapy drugs; surgical methods for removing certain cancers have improved; lab tests identifying cancers are quicker and more accurate; supportive care for dealing with the cancer is better. Also on the rise is awareness of childhood cancers.

“It’s still not as good as I would like it to be. Certainly we see a lot less very late diagnoses now. Doctors and healthcare professionals think about childhood cancer earlier,” Pritchard says.

For a parent like Julia Taylor, who witnessed her little boy fi ght a painful neuroblastoma three times in a span of fi ve years, pediatric cancer treatments are certainly not as good as she would like them to be.

“Once you start talking about childhood cancer, neuroblastoma stops being rare. Kids are dying from neuroblastoma, kids are dying from so many other types of cancer. There is so much more that needs to be done,” she says.

Until there’s no need for Junior Riders – when all pediatric cancers can be cured painlessly and without side effects – and the Tour de Rock’s work is done, only then will we stop pedalling.

Junior Riders: Our HeroesYOUNG CANCER FIGHTERS MOTIVATE TEAM ON 1,000-KM RIDET he simplest answer is that it’s

a two-week bicycle journey in which a team of police offi cers

ride more than 1,000 kilometres from the north end of Vancouver Island to the south, raising money to fi ght childhood cancer.

Since 1998, Tour de Rock has raised more than $20 million for the Canadian Cancer Society, which uses the money to fund pediatric cancer research and programs.

The story goes back to 1994, when a group of Edmonton police offi cers shaved their heads in support of a boy who had lost his hair to chemotherapy. By 1997, the Cops for Cancer head shaves had reached Victoria.

The local police wanted to try something bigger. A brainstorming session between the cops and the Canadian Cancer Society led to the suggestion of a bike ride the length of the Island. And the rest is history.

A new team is picked every year. This year’s team is made up of 20 police offi cers and one member of the media. The sacrifi ces demanded of the riders and their families over the seven months of their Tour experience – three days a week of training and fundraising on top of that – cannot be stressed enough. What is harder to prepare for is the emotional side of the journey. The riders are paired with junior team members, children with a history of cancer. Some of these children continue to deal with the often-debilitating effects of cancer treatment even while participating in Tour events. Their stories are both troubling and inspiring for the riders.

The good news for these children and their families is that we are heading in the right direction. Childhood cancer survival rates are rising (since Tour de Rock’s inception the fi ve-year survival rate has increased 11% to 83%), and treatments are less invasive and have fewer side effects now. There is a direct link between these advances and the efforts of the people of Vancouver Island who, since 1998, have embraced this cause as their own.

What is the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock?

“He loved the attention that was given to him by the police offi cers, his riders. ”