Before I even begin I highly encourage you to click here to watch the TSN feature on Chase the Cure There are times in your life that you feel so alive, you feel the energy, happiness, and gratefulness for life running through all of your body. You take every moment and look and see what a great country we live in, the people, the scenery and the true beauty of our world. A lot of the time this is lost in rushing from place to place, deadlines, and stress. Initially my introduction to Toronto was not close to that great! I entered the city and was walking around downtown to be pooped directly on the head by a seagull.... little did I know this was good luck considering the great response I received from this city (Below is a picture right after I got pooped on)
Today was a extremely important day to Chase the Cure. We were being welcomed at the Toronto Argonaut Home game during the Halftime show. Yet before we were scheduled to meet up with a group of individuals raising funds for Chase the Cure. These individuals started a program 5 years ago called CFL Fans Fight Cancer . These individuals collectively raised over $300 for Chase the Cure through a 50/50.
Let me say something about these individuals each and everyone of them were emotionally empowered to make a difference by those close to them effected by this disease. One man in particular was spoken of named Garry, while they talked about him you were able to see the impact this man left on these individuals. You could tell that every member here in Toronto of CFL Fans fight cancer carried Garry's legacy and passion for fighting back against this disease with them. You were able to tell the quality of a person Garry was, and still is as I truly believe he has taught these people so much about life and making a difference that a part of him lives in everyone there! I personally was able to see the passion Garry carried when it came to fighting cancer and decided it was a honor to dedicate the ride out of Toronto to a true difference maker in the fight against cancer. As I travel I will rely on Garry to give me the strength to continue to pedal towards Ottawa and carry the stories of these people I met with me as I travel.
From here we traveled into the beautiful Roger Center where we were being welcomed by the Toronto Argonauts. I have to say again I was shown complete class by this organization, Steve Whidden organized the Chase the Cure presentation on behalf of the Argo's and did a great job. On cue I rode my bike right onto the field of the Skydome and was welcomed by clapping and cheers for this ride that so many have made possible. I was met by Bob Nicholson President and CEO of the Toronto Argonauts and a rather large Cheque for Chase the Cure in the Ontario region of $2,500, and a autographed Toronto Argonaut helmet which will be auctioned off to raise more funds for the Ontario district to fight back against this disease! I cannot thank the staff of the Toronto Argonauts for all they have done for Chase the Cure and wish them nothing but success in the 2009 season! The argo's and the CFL Fans Fight Cancer just go to show how large of a family this league actually is, everyone competes extremely hard for the Grey Cup but when it comes to something like cancer we drop our colors and compete together!
Yesterday was a great day as we traveled from place to place throughout Toronto completing media interviews. One thing that showed me about every interview we had was how passionate the host was about Chase the Cure, they truly believed that we would find a cure to this disease as Canadians if we just kept making a difference. We ended the night off on the LeDrew Live talk show. This was the first time I was to be on a live talk show. I was really excited about having the opportunity to spread the word of Chase the Cure with LeDrew. Honestly though, this was one of the toughest interviews to date. There was this little ear piece in my ear which the producer of the show was talking to LeDrew telling him what to ask me as I was answering my questions. It was tough to focus on what you were saying while you were thinking about the next question. Yet somehow LeDrew kept me in a comfortable setting and focused allowing me to maintain focus and conduct a great interview I cannot thank them enough for this opportunity to spread the word and encourage Canadians to make a difference (a picture of LeDrew is shown below).
The past few days have been days where you appreciate everything. To start everything off we arrived in Hamilton and were absolutely taken care of by Karen, Nikki, Stef and Bella. All of these individuals really made our stay in Hamilton extra special, cookies, breakfast, lunch, and great conversations sum up some of these experiences we had while staying with these individuals. Not only did they do this but prior to us arriving they organized a triathlon in support of Chase the Cure titled "Tri and Make a Difference". They most definitely made a difference in creating this. We cannot thank them enough for their hospitality and kindness they showed towards us.
Goodnight for now and keep making a difference as we will find a cure to this terrible disease
No comments:
Post a Comment