One month from now, cyclists from across the province will take part in a yearly fundraiser to battle cancer.
The Tour de Cure will run Aug. 26-27 and will see cyclists pedal from Cloverdale to Hope. Funds raised will be used for cancer care and research.
To date, more than $116 million has been raised since the event’s inception in 2009. Some of those funds have made their way into the Okanagan, including the cancer clinic in Kelowna.
The funds are credited for all kinds of cancer-care enhancements, including a multi-million-dollar scanner purchased three years ago.
Cris Wynne is the manager of regional centre services at Kelowna’s cancer clinic. He’s also a big supporter of the cause.
“Getting to know the patients on a daily basis and creating that bond with them when they’re going through treatment, through their ups and downs really encouraged me to give back,” Wynne told Global News.
Today, the B.C. Cancer Foundation is trying to raise $6.1 million for a new systemic therapy unit in Kelowna.
Wynne says the unit “is going to advance cancer treatment here using advanced chemotherapy and immunotherapy to kill cancer cells.”
Riders in the event can choose between a 100-km journey and one that’s longer at 160 km. While both are long, Wynne says it’s nothing compared to what those fighting cancer go through.
“You can’t really imagine what they go through,” said Wynne.
“So putting yourself through that journey on a two-day event riding 160 kilometres for the first day, it can’t equal to what they do on a daily basis.”
More information about the event is available online.
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