Supporting cancer research one step at a time
By Andrea Arnold
In April, McBride resident Rachel Rykes joined with 1854 other participants in the Canadian Cancer Society’s April Walk for Cancer. The goal of each participant was to walk 50 kilometres in 30 days, and together, raise $400,000.
“This was personal for me,” said Rykes. “I’ve lost several close family members to cancer, and with my dad’s recent diagnosis of stage four metastatic lung cancer, I felt even more driven to do something meaningful.”
To many, walking an average of just over one and half kilometres a day for a month might not sound like much of a challenge, but for Rykes, it was. 18 months ago she suffered a right middle cerebral artery ischemic stroke – (MCA) stroke occurs when blood flow to the MCA, a major artery in the brain, is disrupted, leading to a stroke – that left her with decreased use of her left side. It took approximately half a year of relearning the skill before she was able to walk on her own without the use of any aids.
“Walking was something I could manage, especially now that I can do it again, and it felt like a good way to contribute,” she said.
Due to a health related hiccup near the end, Rykes fell short of her own 50km goal, but plans to do it again next year. She intends to use the year to build up strength through events like the Colour Run in June.
Through the April Walk for Cancer, $408,598.04 was raised. The Canadian Cancer Society’s fundraising is ongoing. Donations can be made online at https://tinyurl.com/umexcyu8.
