Whenever Courtenay resident Andrew Young crosses the finish line, his partner Vicki’s son Charlie is right there with him.
The Georges P. Vanier High School teacher will participate in the 2017 Ride to Conquer Cancer on Aug. 26 and 27. This year will be Young’s second ride, after taking part for the first time in 2015. He also participated in the You Are Not Alone (YANA) ride in 2016.
Young’s connection to the fundraising events like the Ride to Conquer Cancer or the YANA Ride is a personal one.
“The reason I want to fund cancer research is because cancer has affected my family, my friends and people near and dear to me,” he said. “I’m tired of seeing people suffer and I’m tired of seeing people not able to survive what should be a survivable or curable problem.”
Young’s father passed away from cancer and his mother is a 20-year survivor of breast cancer. But it was his partner’s son, Charlie, whose experience first spurred Young to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer.
In April 2014, Charlie was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma. He was just 14 at the time and a student at Highland Secondary School, in Comox.
Charlie passed away from the disease at the end of a six-month battle in October 2014.
“[He] was a massive figure in the Highland community,” said Young, noting this year would have been Charlie’s graduating year. “All you have to do is look at this year’s graduation class and see the hole he left, and the efforts they’ve made to recognize him and understand how much of a presence he made in the community.”
It was during Charlie’s time in palliative care at Canuck Place in Vancouver that Young decided to sign up for the 2015 Ride to Conquer Cancer.
“I felt like I needed to do something as an outsider,”said Young. “I couldn’t do research myself, or provide medical care. All I could do was provide support to the family. In 2014, when he was going through care, I signed up for the Ride to Conquer Cancer and dedicate my efforts, my ride, on his behalf and for his family.”
Now, Young sports a jersey with Charlie’s picture on it when he rides, as well as a slip of paper in his back pocket with the names of others for whom he rides.
“The ride is not about me. It’s about the people I ride for,” said Young. “If you ask anyone who’s taking part in the ride, you’re going to get the same answer,” he said.
The Ride to Conquer Cancer is the largest cycling fundraiser in British Columbia. The 200+ kilometre event will start in Surrey, make its way through the Pacific Northwest and finish near Seattle.
Now in its ninth year, the annual event has raised $77 million in fundraising for the B.C. Cancer Foundation. Funds raised through the ride support breakthrough research and enhancements to care at the B.C. Cancer Agency.
Thousands of people will ride in this year’s event, many of whom are cancer survivors themselves.
“It’s such a powerful experience to know that people riding with the little yellow flags on the back of their bikes are survivors,” said Young. “The emotional part of the ride, where I can talk to people and listen to their stories and realize the story of my mother, or Charlie, or Jim Grant, [or others], are not unique stories. They’re shared by so many people. It brings joy and tears every time you talk to someone on the ride.”
Young says participating in the Ride to Conquer Cancer is a powerful experience.
“Knowing that at the end of 250 kilometres, I’m going to see Vicki at the finish line, and I’ve got Charlie on my jersey,” he said. “Just seeing the look on her face, realizing he was riding with me the entire way — it’s an unbelievable experience.”
Those interested in contributing to Young’s campaign can do so at http://bit.ly/2vMh6cL
