Our most favorite tandem are at it again! An exciting day today for two of our wonderful cyclists. Mark Burger and Josh Nelson, Sears National Kids Cancer Riders in 2010 and 2011, participated in the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion Relay! Mark and Josh were also featured tonight on CTV as two of the chosen Difference Makers for the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion Relay across Canada. You guys are awesome and our heroes!

10. Sunday’s breakfast at Camp White Pine – 6 AM never tasted so sweet. Pain au chocolat – unbelievable!
9. Having Josh Nelson speak about his upcoming journey across Canada on a tandem with his Sears National Kids Cancer Ride team standing behind him
8. Meeting the Wilson’s, who had never volunteered with us before but responded to our Facebook call for Crew help, and are now a part of our Tour for Kids family.
7. Enjoying a taste of Tour for Kids Atlantic – having Larry and Tracy from Cape Breton play well in to the night on Saturday with hilarious banter to boot.
6. Our Rest Stop themes! The costumes, the music, the energy…..unstoppable.
5. Seeing Saturday’s flash mob – they cycle, they volunteer, and they dance! TFK participants do it all.
4. Seeing ambassador Adam Mason cycle 300 km’s, despite the fact that his longest training ride before TFK was 30km!
3. Seeing all of our new riders welcomed in to the Tour for Kids experience!
2. Having ambassador Adam Fedosoff and his family greeting cyclists at the rainy Finish Line on Sunday afternoon.
1. Meeting the 550 people who raised $1.7 million dollars and knowing exactly how much joy it will bring kids who attend Camp Trillium, Camp Quality and Camp Oochigeas.

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See Part 2 of Tour for Kids: Top 10 Moments from Tour for Kids Atlantic
See Part 1 of Tour for Kids: Top 10 Moments from Tour for Kids Alberta

Birthday: October 1, 2006

Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2010

Some facts about my treatment: Karlee completed 8 months of treament and is now in 2 years of maintenance.  She remained relatively healthy through her first 8 months and was only delayed for about 3 weeks. Karlee was very fortunate with her hair, she donated 10 inches priort to treatment and was only bald for about 7 weeks.  Karlee is the toughest liettle girl out there, never complaining about needles or port acess.  The staff at the lab are always surprised when she flops her arm out and waits for them to draw blood.  The nurses in the clinic use her to train new staff on how to do a ort access because she is so good.

What I want people to know about me: I  can run so fast

My message to other kids undergoing treatment: Make sure you use freezy cream and then the needles don’t hurt.  A stuffy friend and special pillow will make everything easier.  You will survive.

If I had three wishes they would be… Meet all the princesses (including the real princesses) / Swim and pet a dolphin / Go to Disneyworld

I’m involved with Coast to Coast because… Kids Cancer Care asked for a volunteer to assist with Tour For Kids on very short notice and my dad had the Friday off and was free on the weekend.  He had an incredible time volunteering with the Tour for Kids and was very impressed that all the money raised came back to kids Cancer Care.  KCC has been involved in our lives for almost a year, and has provided support and activities for us that have made this journey much easier.

Each year in Ontario there are over 400 children diagnosed with cancer. This means that each year over 400 pairs of parents have to hear the words “your child has cancer”. About 10 years ago, my parents were one of those pairs.

Camp Trillium is a support centre that’s sole purpose is to help children with cancer and their families cope with having a sibling or a child with cancer, or being a child with cancer. There are currently 3100 campers helped year round in Ontario, with 100 in the Guelph/Kitchener/Waterloo area. The camp allows children to be themselves in a place where they’re not known as “the kid with cancer”. At Camp Trillium, they’re known as one of the campers, and they don’t have to be known as the child with cancer or as the sibling of the child with cancer unless they want to.

Camp Trillium has had many defining moments since its first camp in 1984 in London Ontario, but Camp Trillium’s 6 most important and defining moments are as follows:

In 1983 John Maher, one of the founders of Camp Trillium decided with Dr. DeVeber, another founder, to include the whole family in camp programs. This is why Camp Trillium is unique when compared to other charities that help children. Camp trillium is all about the family, cancer doesn’t just attack the child, it hurts the whole family. Camp Trillium is the first cancer camp in Canada, and the largest cancer camp in North America.

The second most important moment in Camp Trillium history was when a $5000 donation in 1984 by the Odd Fellows that helped to run the first Camp Trillium camp in London. The Odd Fellows were Camp Trillium’s first donors, and they still support the camp to this day.

Camp Trillium’s 3^rd and 4^th defining moments were when they acquired land at Garratt’s Island and Rainbow Lake in 1989 and 1998. This eventually led to the 5^th most defining moment in Camp Trillium History. In 2008, with the help of the Oddfellows and Rebekahs of Ontario, Camp Trillium was able to purchase Garratt’s Island, naming it OuR Island in honor of the Oddfellows and Rebekahs.

The Final most defining moment in the camp’s history was when Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation became the camp’s largest donor. This ensured that Camp Trillium can and does provide the best programs available for children living with cancer and their families.

At the camp there are around 300 volunteers and about 100 staff in the summer. The camp provides training for both staff and volunteers, and there is a program that the children at the camp can take once they’re old enough that trains them to be staff at the camp. The reasoning behind this being, that there is no one that can better understand these children and their families than those in a similar situation.

When my family first found out that my sister had a brain tumour, we were devasted. We didn’t know what we were going to do, we didn’t know if anything would ever be the same, and most importantly, we didn’t know if my sister was going to survive.

Camp Trillium staff members were there for us from the very beginning; doing crafts in the hospital with my sister, answering questions that my parents and I had, and just making it easier to deal with having a sibling or child with a brain tumour.

Camp Trillium is unique among cancer camps and children’s charities worldwide. It was the first cancer camp in Canada, and the first camp to allow the whole family to participate in the camp activities. The camp acts as a role model for new camps and other charities for childhood cancer. The example that it sets by being a place where the children with cancer and their families can be free is what the new camps try to replicate.

Another thing that makes the camp stand out is that once you go to Camp Trillium, your part of that community for life. You never have to worry about being left behind after your cancer is cured in the case of the children with cancer themselves, or if your sibling or child has passed on in the case of the rest of the family. These bereaved families are able to continue coming to camp, and continue receiving support for as long as they need it.

The thing that makes Camp Trillium special is the environment, where everyone can be themselves, where everyone can have fun, and where everyone can forget about their worries about the cancer that sent them there in the first place. At Camp Trillium, people can go about their daily lives as if they didn’t have any problems because Camp Trillium is equipped to accommodate the children, and adults on treatment. If the person needs hospital care, the camp will take that person to the hospital, and then take them back to camp after their treatment is complete.

Camp trillium is the only place that the children can be on chemotherapy, and then be doing other camp activities like climbing a rock wall later that afternoon. Regular children can do camp activities at any summer camp that they go to. Children with cancer on treatment can only do these kinds of things at Camp Trillium.

While at Camp Trillium, the kids are able to be themselves, and in some cases, you can’t tell who has cancer in a family unless you tell them. For example, one of my friends at camp that I have had for several years only has one eye. I had no idea that he was the one in his family with cancer until one day, as we were talking about pulling a prank on another cabin, he took out his eye.

Last summer at camp, I met a young man with half of one his legs amputated. He challenged me to do the high ropes course on only one leg. At the camp he was so able, and so sure of himself and his abilities that I had forgotten that he had a disability. While at camp, you forget about the cancer that a person has, and focus on them as a person. At camp, everyone is able to do everything that regular children at camp can do.

For an organization such as Camp Trillium, $5000 can make a big difference. It can send 5 kids to a one week camp, or it can send 4 kids to a 10 day residential camp. $5000 to change 4-6 lives, $5000 to show families that while cancer is terrible, they can still be kids and enjoy themselves; $5000 to allow children, to be children.

There are some organizations that Camp Trillium gets most of its funds from. Coast to Coast for kids is the largest of these fundraisers; which includes the Tour for Kids, Sears national ride, and the Ride for Karen. This year, one of my friends at camp named Josh will be riding across Canada on a tandem bike to help raise funds, my science teacher Mr. Ball will be riding 800km as part of the tour for kids, and my family will be riding at ride alongs with Josh, going to the event for Mr. Ball, and we will be riding in the ride for Karen like we do every year.

Camp Trillium has helped my sister weeks after her first diagnosis, and after she relapsed. Now, she is a paralympic athlete for swimming, and is able to ride in the ride for Karen every year. She is a fierce competitor and she gets the drive to train , compete and succeed from attending camp. When she returns from camp or a camp function she is literally pumped up like a bike tire. She makes gains in her self confidence. She feels capable. She feels normal.

Even though at Camp Trillium everyone focuses on the positives, we know that there are negatives to living with cancer, and occasionally, some of the campers pass away. Camp Trillium makes it so that the children can enjoy their lives no matter what stage of life they are in. For some kids, Camp Trillium has made even their last few days pleasant and enjoyable.

It would be nice if eventually we could close Camp Trillium’s doors for good, but that would mean that we have to find a cure for cancer first.

It started when our 9 year old decided to forgo gifts and take donations for Coast to Coast Against Cancer….then our 12 year old said he and some friends would do a longboard charity ride to raise some money “we might even make over $100″ is what Cam’s initial thought was.

Well, 4 months later…we did the 10km push on skateboards and longboards across Toronto’s Waterfront….and ending up raising more than $11,000!!!!

The day was perfect…blue sky, slight breeze….riders showed up, signed in, gave donations and hung out together before it started.

There was an amazing vibe as people chatted and compared boards and gear, had some snacks (thanks sponsors) and prepared for the ride.

We were lucky enough to have, 14 year old cancer survivor, Erica Scarff join us to give a short speech about what Coast to Coast meant to her on her journey through cancer treatment. Needless to say the crowd was quiet and thoughtful after that. It really brought home the meaning of why we came out to ride in the first place and the importance of this charity.

Then we were off….pushing along the waterfront, with the lake in view on a perfect sunny day….doesn’t get much better…a sea of blue shirts riding together. We had 2 rest stops where we had snacks and drinks courtesy of Boston Pizza and Kraft Canada (again, thanks to our amazing sponsors)

We rode the final stretch towards Sugar Beach and ended at a grassy hill…the riders spontaneously got off their boards and charged up the hill and did a group cheer at the top….it was incredible!!

We ended with more refreshments and pizza from Boston Pizza and the awarding of some really sweet prizes. All in all, the day went better than we could have hoped for and Cam said he didn’t imagine it could have been that great.

I have to say that the longboarding and skateboarding community of this city is a truly amazing group. Their spirit and generosity was contagious.

We will be back next year for sure – Cam wants this to be an annual event – and it promises to be bigger and better!!

Special thanks to all our sponsors, donors, volunteers and especially riders for making the first annual Longboard4kids such a success…spread the stoke!!

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Finn was born in June of 2005, one minute after his brother Baird and less than three years after his sister Sarah. Baird was born in June of 2005, one minute before his brother Finn. Sarah was born in August of 2002, almost three years before her baby brothers.

From early days Finn was a rambunctious, serious, active boy with a nice streak of silliness . He came by his love of speed, running, jumping, dancing and singing at an early age and those loves helped him keep his head up and chin forward through some very difficult times. Baird by nature was and is a charmer. A cuddly trouble maker with an amazing ability to make instant friends. Sarah? Well Sarah was a true big sister. Big hearted, curious and intensely curious. They were a fantastic trio.

In February 2007, at around 20 months, Finn was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. By the time the tumour was discovered, it was grapefruit sized. And so our medical journey began. A year of chemotherapy. Over 70 anesthetics. Numerous surgeries, big and small. Removal of the tumour. The introduction of a pee bag. The colostomy came later. Unblocking and stenting blocked ureters. Two months in Boston. Thirty radiation treatments. Specialized treatment in Spokane. And I do mean our. Certainly, Finn endured the treatments and showed a spirit and resolution that left all amazed. Running, jumping, dancing and singing. Head up and chin forward. He was able to do that because of two things: who he was and who he was with. Who he was was not created by what he went through. It was only revealed.

An who he was with was Baird and Sarah? If Finn had a clinic appointment, Baird had a clinic appointment. If Finn needed a lift or a reason to dance, Sarah had the strength or the song. A team exemplifying teamwork. Moving to Boston together. Shaving their heads together.

And by February 2008 our medical journey was supposed to be over. And for three glorious months we thought it was. Then another MRI. The cancer was back. In the lymph nodes. Incurable. And so we fought for time and quality. We , all of us, began trading in a currency of smiles . And in the time we had, we tried to love enough for a life time.

And through all this, and despite all this, and with the love of his brother and best friend Baird and the strength of his sister and protector Sarah, Finn ran, he bounced, he jumped, he sang, he danced, he smiled and he loved.

On October 9, 2008, Finn died. Three years old. The saddest moment in his brother and sister’s life. Although Finn died at only age 3, we choose not to remember him as our son, brother and friend who died, but rather as our son, brother and friend who LIVED. He kept going, kept getting up, kept smiling, kept laughing, smiling, running, dancing, singing, loving, bouncing and riding. He never let cancer conquer his soul.

And so we celebrate Finn every day by trying to live the way Finn lived. He Finnspires us to seize the day and to take on our most difficult challenges in the way he lived – by loving every minute we can and by running, jumping, bouncing, dancing singing, loving, smiling and riding.

Here’s the thing though. The support of BC Children’s Hospital and programs like those funded by the Coast to Coast Ride Against Childhood Cancer throughout Canada also helped Finn be Finn. The programs the Coast to Coast Ride Against Childhood Cancer support made a difference in the quality of our family’s time together. They gave us smiles. They helped give Finn the opportunity to Run Jump Bounce Dance Sing Love Smile and Ride. They gave his brother and sister memories. That’s important. This event is important. Thank you for all you are doing to support it.

So there you have it. If nothing else, do me a favour. Remember Finn. Remember him as he was. A special boy who accomplished special things. Remember him as the boy who lived despite cancer. Do not remember him as the boy who died because of cancer.

You might also be interested in knowing that Finn is not done. People have changed who they were and how they were because of Finn. An army of pink rides to celebrate his life. Finn brings tears, but he also brings laughter.

To learn more about Finn and a special thing called Finnspiration, we invite you to visit www.teamfinn.com. Because if you have managed to make it this far, the chances are that you have already been touched by an angel.

Team Finn in the News

We’re also placing a banner across the top of all of our websites so you can catch the latest updates on our corageous ambassadors. Please take a few moments to read their stories – why they got involved in Coast to Coast and why it’s so important that we keep pushing towards a destination beyond cancer.

Click here to read our ambassador stories!

Here’s some info from www.onematch.ca:

OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network is responsible for finding and matching volunteer donors for patients who require stem cell transplants. Fewer than 30 per cent of patients who need stem cell transplants find a compatible donor within their own families. The rest rely on those who have volunteered to donate stem cells to anyone in need.

Though Canada Blood Services has widely established monthly blood donor clinics, the same is not true for OneMatch. They occasionally will set up a clinic in response to a specific request, but really they have not engaged in getting out into the community beyond this. There appears to be a new initiative around a national fall drive at the university level which would be  a key way to enhance the depth and breadth of registrants.

The good news is that the website process they have is pretty simple to walk through and self-register. 

The process essentially is as follows:

1. Review the website – go to www.onematch.ca , and click on “Click here to join OneMatch” or ”Learn More”.

2. Complete the online questionnaire to ensure you understand the process. 

3. OneMatch will mail you a set of cheek swabs for you to collect a sample.

4. You then mail back the swabs. OneMatch processes them and will contact you if they have any additional questions regarding your health.

5. You may or may not be contacted years later, if your sample pops up as a potential match. At that time, additional testing is done and you have the opportunity to decide if you wish to go ahead.

Important things to note:

- OneMatch registrants must be between the ages of 17 and 50. 

- Most ethnic/racial backgrounds are critically under represented on the worldwide registry. This means children or adults from most backgrounds are much less likely to obtain a match. Reference: http://bit.ly/biO8kB

- Potential donors must have a Canadian health card.

- There are hundreds of Canadian adults and children searching or waiting for a match at any given time. Literally their life depends on a match, period.

What to Learn More?

This recent Globe and Mail article outlines more about the stem cell and bone marrow topic. http://bit.ly/aqEQXd

The Value-Add.

In our own Coast to Coast and extended community, between  ambassadors, other children/teens we know,  Sears National Kids Cancer Riders and Tour For Kids riders, there simply are several wonderful people who would not be with us today.

Several of them have been able to give back because a thoughtful person signed up to give a gift of life. All of them fulfill the hopes and joy of a family in that simply, they are still here, a profound gift indeed.  

Please consider a gift of life as your New Year’s resolution. You can make a difference at www.onematch.ca.