Jul 10
27
Volunteer Profile: Frances Pace
Frances Pace
3 years ago, life as we knew it was shaken to the core. My husband and I were presented with the most devastating news any parent could hear – your child has cancer.
Our son Alex, who we thought had only a charley horse from a hockey collision was in fact diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, cancer of the bone. Alex battled fiercely against incredible odds and went into remission, but in November 2008 he was diagnosed with AML (Leukemia) – a rare side effect from the treatment used to save his life. After talking with his doctors, with my husband and I, his brother and sister, Alex chose to discontinue treatments so he could enjoy the rest of his days with his family and friends. Alex passed away on February 12, 2009 as he approached his 12th birthday.
I tried many different coping mechanisms to deal with the grief, but it wasn’t until August of last year that I found a true healing outlet in the Tour for Kids. As throughout our journey with Alex’s illness, an army of friends and family followed us down this road and surrounded us with unwavering love and support. Little did we know, the larger family we would find in the Tour. It was a place where there were many tears, many laughs and many sore bodies, but it was a place where our pain and grief was familiar and deeply understood – we were home. Our involvement in the Tour for Kids was a turning point for our healing – our grief had turned into something very purposeful. It was also where we met a team of compassionate and devoted staff and volunteers whom we have now since forged friendships and have joined together in pursuit of a common goal – to bring families back to laughter and back to the celebration of life.
Since the 2009 Tour, our family has become very active with many of the C2C events – volunteering with Inside Rides, SNKCR as well as participating in the 24 Hour Spin. Not only is it rewarding to us, but it is also a way of working towards accomplishing Alex’s dream and the dream of the millions of others living with this dreaded disease – finding a cure or “destination beyond cancer”.
