After 14 days on the road, 16 law enforcement and emergency services personnel, and media personalities completed the 1,200-kilometre Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock when they reached Victoria on Friday, Oct. 4.
Throughout the bike ride, participants made stops at events across Vancouver Island to engage communities and schools while raising funds to save and improve the lives of children diagnosed with cancer, both locally and across Canada. The Canadian Cancer Society, in partnership with local first responders, raised $803,000, which will be used for life-saving childhood cancer research and a support system for children affected by cancer and their families.
Liam Kenney, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Military Police, said visiting Qualicum Secondary School was a stand out moment for him throughout the journey.
"They had the largest welcome for us. Hundreds of kids out there screaming, they made posters with our name on them. A bunch of kids shaved their heads right there and they donated a lot of money for us," said Kenney.
He also mentioned the biggest challenge for him was emotional, rather than the physical challenges that come with the ride.
"As we went along the route, we heard many sad stories of families who have dealt with cancer throughout their lives," he said. "We had a young girl who's recovered from cancer sing us a song she composed herself, and that left every single person in the room in tears."
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, about 1,050 children up to the age of 14 are expected to have faced a cancer diagnosis in 2023. Over the last five years, CCS says they have invested $14.7 million in childhood cancer research projects, which contribute to improved outcomes as the five-year survival rate for childhood cancer is now 84 per cent, an increase from 71 per cent in the 1980s.
“We’ve made incredible progress with childhood cancer, but we still need to do more. As the number one cause of disease-related death in Canadian children under 15 years, we all have a role to play when it comes to taking on childhood cancer,” said Matthew Campbell, director of Cops for Cancer, in a news release. “None of the work we do would be possible without the Cops for Cancer program.”
Steve Foster, a West Shore RCMP officer, said he finds the end of the Tour "bitter-sweet".
"We're actually looking forward to sleeping in our own beds tonight and getting up tomorrow and having a leisurly breakfast," Foster said. "But at the same time, we've become a family over these two weeks and eight months [of training] prior. We're going to miss each other."
