Latest news with #cancerfundraising
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Pitching in: Playing road hockey to help in the fight against cancer
The organizer: Erica Howe The pitch: Helping raise more than $3-million The cause: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Erica Howe has finally turned a corner in what has been the worst year of her life. Ms. Howe, 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 months ago. Since then she's had surgery, chemotherapy and several rounds of hormone-suppressing medication. She also had to give up her hockey career, which included serving as an emergency goalie for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League, and take a leave from her job as a firefighter in Mississauga. She's followed a careful plan to ensure the cancer doesn't return and she's grateful to the tremendous support she's received from her wife, her firefighter colleagues and her Sceptres teammates. Pitching in: Building schools and health programs in Cambodia 'Today I'm feeling better,' Ms. Howe said this week. 'The last two weeks, I've really come around a corner and felt stronger mentally and physically.' Last month Ms. Howe felt good enough to travel to London for her brother's wedding and spend a few days in Ireland with her family. 'I think it was just a break from life here and being able to go somewhere else and come back and be like, okay, you know, I think I got this.' She's also helped out at a hockey camp this summer and participated in a street hockey tournament for charity. And she's slowly returned to work with the fire service. Now she wants to contribute to the fight against cancer. On Sept. 27, she'll take part in the Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer tournament in aid of Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The annual event attracts around 150 teams and raises more than $3-million that goes toward research. Ms. Howe said she hopes to be a trailblazer in cancer just as she has been in hockey. 'That's a big thing with hockey, especially women's hockey; how can we make it better for the next generation?' she said. 'I think that's the same thing with my cancer diagnosis. So many people have come before me and been in these trials and been in these research studies, and they've kind of put it on the line.' She has no idea if her cancer will return but for now she's just trying to live her life as normally as possible. 'And making sure I'm doing the things that I love. That's most important.' pwaldie@
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Kayaking 4 Cancer initiative paddling toward $1-million mark
A group of paddlers that has been navigating the Rideau Canal for the last 25 years is looking to cross the $1-million mark in funds raised for the Canadian Cancer Society. The Kayaking 4 Cancer initiative has taken on the challenge of paddling from Kingston to Parliament Hill in Ottawa every August. Kevin Dionne started Kayaking 4 Cancer after having the disease impact his family multiple times. 'In 2001, I just got tired of hearing the word. I was frustrated. I didn't know what I could do,' Dionne tells CTV News Ottawa. 'I remember as a small boy, after my mother's first diagnosis of cancer, her going house-to-house-to-house-to-house with a clipboard asking people for a donation. So, this didn't come lightly by me.' That first paddle in 2001 saw about a half dozen kayakers — family and friends of Dionne — take on the journey. Over the years, the event has grown and gained sponsorships. 'I've been a son of somebody with cancer. I've been a son-in-law of somebody with cancer. I've been a friend of somebody with cancer. I've been a cousin of somebody with cancer. I've been a nephew of somebody with cancer. I've never been a cancer patient,' says Dionne. 'I've seen it, and I've witnessed it from the beginning to the last breath. And if I can't kayak the Rideau system for eight days to show those people in my heart that I care; I just wanted to do that.' Heading into its 25th year, Kayaking 4 Cancer was roughly $122,000 shy of reaching the $1-million mark. All funds raised over the years have gone directly to the Canadian Cancer Society. 'We're a small group. We're just families and friends. We're not a big corporation. We never thought the day we started this we'd be here 25 years later. And we never thought we'd see $1 million,' said Kurt Dionne, Kevin's brother and co-organizer. When the group of about 20 kayakers reaches its destination of Parliament Hill Saturday, Kayaking 4 Cancer will have covered 5,000 kilometres along the Rideau system in its 25 years, a length that was a goal for Dionne to reach when first setting off in 2001. 'Terry Fox is a hero of mine. I remember him running through Brockville and just to think that it's the 45th anniversary of his Marathon of Hope and that's our 25th year of doing Kayaking 4 Cancer. It's not about the money anymore. It's about showing people with cancer that I care.' Donations to the paddlers' efforts can be made at 'It will be an honor to say that we've given the Canadian Cancer Society $1 million,' says Dionne
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
King honours Pink Ladies' tractor run founders
A couple who have raised more than £1.2m for a cancer charity said it was a "huge honour" to be recognised by the King. Annie Chapman, 83, and her husband John, 74, have been appointed MBE in the King's Birthday Honours list for their services to fundraising. The pair, who live near Pulham Market, Norfolk, set up the Pink Ladies' Tractor Road Run more than two decades ago. "It's a huge honour to have, but it's one we like to share... it's teamwork," said Mrs Chapman. "We couldn't do it without a team of all sorts of people. "It was just going to be a one-off bit of fun." Each year a group of women take tractors festooned with pink decorations and travel in convoy around a 20-mile (32km) route of south Norfolk and north Suffolk. Money is raised for Cancer Research UK, and used to fund work in breast cancer developments. The fundraiser was launched when the couple, who were members of tractor clubs and fans of vintage models, decided to set themselves a challenge over a bottle of wine when Mrs Chapman retired. Mr Chapman said he was "surprised" and "delighted" to at the honour but also appreciated, like his wife, that it was a team effort. "On reflection, I thought 'What a wonderful recognition of the event,'" he said. "[It is] not a personal thing so much as a recognition of the event and all the people who help us and make it work." The next event will be held on 6 July when 191 tractors will tour the countryside, setting off from Thorpe Abbotts airfield, near Diss. The procession of pink tractors attracts scores of spectators along the route, and the support in the couple's closest town of Harleston is something they find particularly heart-warming. "It's quite an emotional trip - you can't get through there without choking up," said Mrs Chapman. "People are just so supportive." The couple are among 19 people in the county to be recognised in the King's Birthday Honours. Other Norfolk recipients include Dr Christine Counsell, of Attleborough, who has been appointed OBE for services to education; David Case, of Diss Heritage Triangle Project, appointed MBE for his services to the community, as has Sheelagh Redpath, of Great Yarmouth, for her services to netball. The Birthday Honours are awarded by the King following recommendations by the prime minister, senior government ministers and members of the public. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. King's Birthday Honours: How does the UK honours system work? Pink Ladies' Tractor Run reaches £1m milestone Pink tractor run held for breast cancer research King's Birthday Honours list
