A boy from New Brunswick has hit the pool to raise money for cancer research in memory of his friend who inspired him to give back to his community.
With lungs full of air and a heart filled with motivation, Adriano Hache, 10, of Moncton said he is reminded of his special friend with every stroke he takes in the pool. The young swimmer is taking part in the Swim Challenge for the Canadian Cancer Society.
“She is there with me, inspiring me when I swim,” said Adriano, who started his swim challenge at the beginning of August at the Dieppe Aquatic and Sports Centre.
The big-hearted young man is no stranger to giving back. He started raising money for the Moncton Hospital’s Ride Against Cancer fundraiser before he was even in the double digits.
“I lost my tooth and I got $5 from the tooth fairy and I gave it,” he said.
Inspired by his special friend Gini Bourque he met earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic while on the fundraising bicycle challenge, Adriano said he was supposed to hit the pedals again this summer.
“We were planning to bike to get donations for people suffering from cancer, but because I broke my ankle I couldn’t,” he said.
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So in honour of Bourque, with his ankle barely healed, he hit the pool instead to raise money for a disease that he said sadly took the life of the one who inspired him the most.
“She passed away last year but the inspiration is still me,” Adriano said.
Adriano has already swum 12 kilometres in only two weeks and his parents have been cheering on the hours spent in the pool.
Grateful to the woman she said taught him to give back to others, Karla Hache said, “I think she would be proud of him and she would cheer out for him doing this.”
“It is inspiring to see that he has it in his heart to push and raise those funds,” said his father, Jean Francois Hache.
Adriano says he won’t stop once he reaches the 15-kilometre goal and is inviting more kids from across the county to join in the challenge.