52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 32 (FREE SPACE)
When writing my weekly blog I remember who my primary audience is:
1st is me as a record of what I spend my time and our money on,
2nd is our children who right now aren't too interested so I am leaving them stories for when I am no longer here to share them,
3rd is a future 'me' looking for where they fit in their own genealogical story and find my stories.
With that in mind I decided FREE SPACE was a great fit for writing about Chris and I in the here & now.
Getting outside in August can be a bit challenging:
- It's hot
- It's humid
- Smoke is in the air due to wildfires
Sitting inside in the air conditioning after work and on my day off seems like a fabulous idea.
AND yet this my 4th (Chris's 5th) August where we drag ourselves outside in the hot, humid, smoky weather to ride after work and on our days off.
Every spring we register for the Great Cycle Challenge.
It seems like a great idea in the spring, but then August arrives and we question what we were thinking.
Then we remind ourselves we can cycle through a bit of discomfort to raise funds for these kids who experience discomfort & pain as they fight for their lives.
I can't even imagine what their parents are going through ....
Chris and I can handle a bit of discomfort to raise funds for research to fight juvenile cancer.
Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.
The funds go to SickKids in Toronto for juvenile cancer research.
We live in BC - why are we fundraising for the paediatric hospital in Ontario when we have one right here in BC?
Good question -
We do it because:
"The SickKids Research Institute (RI) is Canada’s largest, hospital-based child health research institute conducting and translating groundbreaking research, training the next generation of researchers, and supporting global scientific communities with knowledge and state-of-the-art facilities.
We’re taking more discoveries from the lab bench to the bedside, making a bigger impact on children’s lives around the world, sooner." 1
"In January 2008, SickKids launched the Comprehensive Cancer Centre. The Centre was designed to enhance and integrate all aspects of clinical, research and educational activities in the discipline of oncology at SickKids.
Two years later, in 2010, the Garron Family donated an unprecedented $30 million to SickKids to revolutionize the care and treatment of children’s cancer in Canada and around the world.
The donation transformed the Comprehensive Cancer Centre into the Garron Family Cancer Centre (GFCC), the largest paediatric oncology centre in Canada, and created five Endowed Chairs in Childhood Cancer Research. A generous new gift of $15 million over 15 years from the Garron family, beginning in 2021, will support the Garron Family Chairs in Childhoood Cancer Research and other high priority needs of the centre. " 2
"Between 2015 and 2020, the GFCC received over $2 million dollars from the SickKids Foundation to support the adjudication of 39 discovery grants, 3 functional genomics team grants, 13 clinical grants and 26 basic/translational grants. Currently, we have 73 cancer clinical trials running." 3
The research discoveries happening in Toronto are helping children all over the world beat cancer.
You can support this worthy cause by clicking my link below:
BUT because we are the same team .. if you want to donate to Chris instead of me click his link below:
If you donate your receipt will be sent directly to you from SickKids.
The fundraising part is the most important part of this challenge, but that part doesn't come from us.
We ride during the month of August, and promote the challenge to raise funds.
Shamelessly promoting our Great Cycle Challenge 2024 in this blog to solicit more donations? Precisely!
Chris loves to cycle.
Me - not so much.
In 2015 Chris was diagnosed with 2 types of autoimmune arthritis (Ankylosing Spondylitis & Psoriatic Arthritis) when he had the first major flare of his life. In looking back he had been having symptoms, but it wasn't obvious what was happening because the symptoms changed & none stuck around for long. That all changed in the spring of 2015.
Initially his rheumatologist didn't immediately move to aggressive treatment saying that his body had kept it in check for his whole life so maybe it would go back to sleep. The tests had confirmed he had the DNA (HLA B-27) commonly found with the two types of arthritis he had been diagnosed with. After a couple of months it became apparent that his body was no longer willing/able to put it back in check, and he began immune suppressors.
As he graduated from walker to cane he learned to manage chronic pain.
Living with chronic pain resulted in some activities no longer being possible or enjoyable.
One of the things he missed most was cycling. Each time he started cycling again it would trigger off an inflammatory flare.
Prior to getting sick he cycled an hour or two daily, and even completed 100km rides.
In 2020 he signed up for his first Great Cycle Challenge in the hopes of being motivated to cycle for the whole month.
I observed that when he completed long quick rides his body would react with inflammation that took a long time to reduce.
His 2020 Great Cycle Challenge left him disappointed.
In 2021 I signed up for the challenge with him.
My primary purpose was to spend time with him, AND reduce his speed and distance to one his body didn't react to.
I don't love cycling, but I am a fan of Chris AND love spending time with him.
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| August 2021, our 1st year joining together |
Chris and our children bought me a bike for Mother's Day 2021 because the old bike I had wasn't up to the longer distance rides I was attempting to do that first year with Great Cycle Challenge.
That Mother's Day I remember thinking 'what...there are no pots or vacuum cleaners available' when I was informed I was getting a bike for Mother's Day.
I had a hard time believing a new bike would make cycling more enjoyable.
Our youngest - my personal bike mechanic and coach shown below set up my new bike. He made sure each of the measurements were perfect, and my seat fit my sit bones exactly.
I climbed on that new bike for my first ride & fell off.
My personal mechanic/coach thought I could ride and watch him at the same time.
My son knows how uncoordinated I am, but for a moment I also believed the cycling coach part of him that thought I could pedal like the wind.
Notice the grass stain on the left knee in the photo above.
Immediately after that ride I announced that I needed a basket on my bike. I felt this would set the tone for those around me to understand my cycling skill level. It's also a good visual reminder for myself when I briefly forget!
In case I might forget I purchased this jersey for myself.
Did I ever think I would be able to complete a long ride?
Nope .. I did not think that would ever happen.
I was wrong:
Am I a fan of cycling?
Still NO!
BUT I am a fan of Chris so spending time together doing something he loves feels good 💗
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| July 2024 - Highway 1 frontage Road at Number 3 Road |
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| July 2024 - Fraser River Dyke near Barrowtown Pump Station |
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| July 2024 -Fraser River Dyke near Island 22 |
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After work rides include a picnic
My basket has found a use |
We spent a day at the Vancouver Zoo during our July training time.
Strava tracked our ride.
When I first met Chris he made me laugh at a time when I was taking myself far too seriously. Making me laugh was very welcome, and I told him I would keep him around as long as he kept me laughing
32 years later, and we are still laughing
Our children moved across Canada so we don't get to see them very often. Oddly enough we take it as a parenting win that they like each other enough to want to live close together AND they frequently spend time together. They sent us this photo a couple of weeks ago.
It seems their father's cycling skills were passed down.
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| July 2024, rebuilding his bike |
His mechanical skills were also passed down.
Getting outside to spend time time with the ones you love!!!
AND if you have any spare funds please click one of the links above OR below to donate to the fight against juvenile cancer 💗
HUGE thank you to those who have already donated.
2024 Great Cycle Challenge has begun
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
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