The NOW COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE AND BELCARRA
Community
Friday, June 18, 2010
A11
editorial@thenownews.com
Three bicycles, two days and one dream Trio joins Team Finn for Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser Along the way, there were the inevitable mornings and days where the jkurucz@thenownews.com body said no, but the mind said yes. Longer training rides, and reduced waistlines, propelled the local trio to Run, jump, bounce, dance, love, see their goal through to the end. smile, ride. “This weekend will definitely be Seven words that capture the emotional, but you’re just excited to essence of a special three-year-old, see it through. There were days where seven words that bind a group of more we said, ‘Boy, what are we doing out than 140 people, all who are drawn here?’ But we’re shooting for the end together out of a sense of compassion, goal,” said Ackerman. “The little milehealing and hope. stones, like hitting 75 kilometres on a Those seven words will be adorned training ride — for me, that was quite across the chests of more than 140 exciting. Then you get to 100 kiloparticipants out of the 2,700 riders set metres and you think, ‘This is actually to take part in this weekend’s Ride to doable.’” Conquer Cancer. The trio is devoting Consisting of their efforts in memCanadians and ory of Finn Sullivan, a Americans, members “The stats that are North of Team Finn will thrown out there … three-year-old Vancouver resident who make the two-day, just didn’t become real died of a rare form of 280-kilometre trek cancer called rhabdountil it hits you from Surrey to myosarcoma in 2008, Redmond, Wash., personally.” and takes strength from this weekend as part the incredible courage of the annual B.C. in his fight with the Cancer Agency fundKim Boekhorst disease. raiser. Ride to Conquer Cancer Rider “Run, jump, bounce, Tri-Cities residance, love, smile and dents are also doing ride — that’s what it their part to make says on our jerseys, and the trek as well: Port Moody’s Kim Boekhorst and Port Coquitlam resident that’s the way Finn lived. He enjoyed every moment he got,” said his father, Darryl Ackerman have joined Maple North Vancouver resident Patrick Ridge native Darcy Balla for the ride. Sullivan. Their training started in earnest in Team Finn was established last February, with each of the three riders year and featured about 30 riders who committing themselves to their bikes made the trek to Washington, raising regardless of rain, fatigue or whatever $172,000 for cancer research in the else life could throw at them. process. Those numbers have jumped “Anyone who can go through exponentially over the course of last chemotherapy, my hat’s off to them,” year, as the 2010 edition of Team Finn Balla said. “Getting on a bike for a few hundred kilometres is nothing in com- boasts 140 riders and crew members. Donation totals have already exceeded parison, but it’s the least I can do to $477,000 ahead of the two-day ride set support these people.” for Saturday and Sunday. The three banded their efforts “At first it was because of my good together in support of Darryl’s wife, friend’s diagnosis, but as I got involved Catherine, who was diagnosed with with Team Finn, I realized that Finn breast cancer last fall. was a twin,” Balla said. “I’m the father “When it was revealed that Catherine was diagnosed in September, of twins, so it became a two-pronged approach. As I got further into it, seeit really hit a lot closer to home ing that the boy was basically the same than what you normally read in the age as my children, it was a real eye paper or hear on the newscasts,” said Boekhorst, a NOW sales representative. opener.” “The stats that are thrown out there • For more information on this — two out of every five Canadians will weekend’s Ride to Conquer Cancer, be diagnosed with cancer — but that just didn’t become real until it hits you log on to www.teamfinn.com or www. conquercancer.ca. personally.”
John Kurucz
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From left, Darcy Balla, Kim Boekhorst and Darryl Ackerman picked up their Team Finn cycling jerseys this week in preparation for the weekend ride. The trio has been furiously training and fundraising in honour of Finn Sullivan, a three-year-old boy who lost his fight with the disease but still managed to run, jump, bounce, dance, love and smile each day.
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