A Kelowna man will be one of 2,000 riders from across B.C. taking part in the Tour De Cure, a two-day 200-kilometre bike ride starting in Surrey to raises money for the BC Cancer Foundation.
Living with chronic lymphocytic lymphoma since 2012, Robin Smith will embark on the ride for the tenth time, telling Castanet it's one of the most important weekends of the year for him and his family. “I was feeling really healthy, didn’t really feel a lot of symptoms and got those three words from my family doctor that nobody wants to hear,” said Smith, in front of the Kelowna Cancer Centre. “It really changed my outlook on life.
Having this diagnosis and having this disease gives me the ability to have an impact around the community by raising awareness.” Living with a form of cancer for the past 12 years that does not yet require treatment, Smith has witnessed cancer research change for the better, but not everyone has been as lucky as him. “I’ve lost two friends — both who have donated to my ride this year — in the past month, and so I ride for them.
I ride for other family members and friends that have passed away through different kinds of cancers and I ride to spread that hope, that other forms of cancer will have the same breakthroughs and research and understanding that I’ve had with my disease.” Nearly half of Canadians will get cancer during their lifetime. Since its inaugural event in 2009, the Tour De Cure has raised more than $124 million for the BC Ca.