Tuesday, November 10, 2009

A better man than I




Yesterday, I just happened to catch wind of Mike Lush' 3rd Annual 320 km Rideau Trail end to end hike to end cancer on a friend's Facebook page.

Wow. In his own words:
All set to go, mid-October and this year I'm more motivated than ever !!! This horrid disease just took my Mom after a short battle on September 4th. 2 out of 3 of us can expect a cancer diagnosis sometime during our lifetime so you now have a far greater chance of getting this disease than not. So for the sake of yourself, your friends and family support the fight in any way you can.....remember, if you don't help fight this disease....who will?

So here I am, growing whiskers and wearing bras to work to support cancer awareness and research, and this guy's out there slogging it up the Rideau Trail.
Only 90 kms. to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cold/flu waining......left leg, just a mild nuisance...all is well.

I can't believe this has been going on for three years without me noticing it. Mike's odyssey is very close to my heart for several reasons:
• I lost three grandparents to cancer (two far too young, one who gave thyroid cancer a damn good fight to almost 100!);
• I grew up on the portion of the trail just south of the Little Cataraqui Conservation Area, in Kingston, on which my Dad was among the volunteers who cut the paths through the woods where I take Ladman salamander hunting even today; and
• I love hiking (although I'm just a day tripper).

So, Mike, my moustache and my bra salute you.

Mike's almost done his trek, but you can still sponsor his 3rd Annual 320 km Rideau Trail end to end hike to end cancer at http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/Mike_Lush and follow his progress on his Facebook Group or Blog.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Tom:
    Thanks a million for your extemely kind words, they really mean a lot. This was my third go at the trail and due to a cold or flu and a leg injury it was by far the toughest. When the pain intensified, I'd simply think of the pain this disease causes so many millions of people worldwide and suddenly, I felt much, much better about my own situation.
    The point of this exercise is to encourage everyone to do just one thing, every year to raise money to fund the fight for a cure.
    If every Canadian figured out a way to raise $100 per year to fund research, that would amount to three billion dollars !!! Believe me, with that kind of funding a cure would not be long in coming. It is not a lack of promising progress that is delaying the conquering of this scourge of mankind....it is lack of funding.
    Why make cancer the priority ? Because two out of three of your family and friends will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime....so think of your support of this cause, not as a donation but as an investment in your future and that of all your loved ones.... so give generously, the life you help save may be your own.
    Thanks again Tom.
    Mike Lush
    Smiths Falls, Ontario

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  2. Knowing Mike like I do, this journey isn't a surprise, but it certainly is admirable. All of us watching can't help but be inspired and eagerly cheer him on from the sidelines. Mike does this because he can. Because he is healthy and wants to do something to raise funds and awareness of what this nasty disease is capable of. Through his physical journey so close to home, we can all watch his progress daily and feel a sense of pride as he gets closer and closer to the end of the trail. If we could, we'd be there waiting at the end with a bottle of champagne and a pat on the back and that would be more than enough personally for Mike. It's a drop in the bucket in the fight against cancer, but it's a pailful of passion that he puts into the effort. It's an honor to call Mike a friend.

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