Craig Senior - Sears National Kids Cancer Ride RSS

Sponsor Me
In June, with 35 others, I will cycle across Canada to raise money and awareness of childhood cancer research and support programs.
──────────
En Juin, avec 35 autres, je roulerai à vélo à travers le Canada pour amasser des fonds et sensibiliser les gens aux recherches sur le cancer chez les enfants et aux programmes de support.
──────────

About Me

Email Me

Blog Archive

Sep
3rd
Thu
permalink

Welcome ! Bonjour!

Hello! Bonjour! Hola! Guten tag! Shalom! As-salam! Ciao!

In June 2009, I rode across Canada with 35 other cyclists in the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride to help raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer. This page provides an index to some of the other pages. Sprinked among all the pages are tidbits and curiosities. Check them out, have fun, and please sponsor my ride.

PARTICIPATE!

Videos

Sponsors

Donations

Links

Past Events

Group 3’s Stages:

  • 2009-06-13 Vancouver, BC to Princeton, BC
  • 2009-06-14 Rogers Pass, BC to Calgary, AB
  • 2009-06-15 Swift Current, SK to Regina, SK
  • 2009-06-16 Brandon, MB to Winnipeg, MB
  • 2009-06-17 Mine Centre, ON to Thunder Bay, ON
  • 2009-06-18 Wawa, ON to Sault Ste. Marie, ON
  • 2009-06-19 Clifford, ON to London, ON
  • 2009-06-20 Woodstock, ON to Toronto, ON
  • 2009-06-21 Ottawa, ON to Montreal, QC
  • 2009-06-22 Rivière Bleue, QC to Woodstock, NB
  • 2009-06-23 New Glasgow, NS to Lower Sackville, NS
  • 2009-06-24 Lower Sackville, NS to Halifax, NS
Jun
26th
Fri
permalink

A Dedication

Every morning before we started to ride, we dedicated that day’s riding to someone, usually a child who experienced cancer. The dedication always accompanied a touch, a tear, a word of encouragement and hope. I had a dedication, but never got a chance to share it, until now. Before the 2009 Sears National Kids Cancer Ride started in Vancouver on 2009-06-13, I almost accidentally met a 5-year old little guy named Jacob Randell. I happened to hear about him on the radio after a fundraising event. His father, Jason, is from a small community in White Bay, Newfoundland. He knew some relatives of mine in Hampden. My first name is Jason. I felt connected. Little Jacob Randell is fighting brain cancer that invaded his body last November. He spent several months at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and St. Justine’s Children’s Hospital in Montreal. The treatments for the cancer ravaged his body, unable to eat, unable to walk, unable to hear in one ear, a blood clot in the lining of his heart, infections, nose bleeding for 4 hours. After 6 months of treatment, Jacob turned to his mother and pleaded, “Mama, I don’t want to do this anymore.” What was intended to cure Jacob almost took him from us. On 2009-06-06, Liliane and Jason took Jacob home to love him and to get their little boy back. The attending physician said, “You did the right thing.” Now Jacob is in speech and eating therapy. He will learn to walk again. His energetic spirit and sense of humour are returning. He loves to be at home. He loves his new brother Liam, born while Jacob was in hospital. He loves play with his new Dachschund dog. Time will tell us the answer to the question we all share: how much time does he have? We don’t know. We do know that for as much time as Jacob has, he will be a loving boy to a loving family. Minimizing or eliminating the side effects of cancer treatment is one of the objectives of the research, on the road to eliminating cancer, for which we are raising funds. We ride for Jacob.

Jun
21st
Sun
permalink

2009-06-21 Ottawa to Montreal Big Day

This morning, in the parking lot of Sears St. Laurent in Ottawa, I awoke to many things:

  • My sons Brandon and Josh with Josh’s girlfriend Stephanie
  • Their Mom Susan
  • My sweetheart France with her children Pénélope and Gabriel
  • Longtime friend John Ramcharan and his wife Shaliza (John plans to ride along to Montreal)
  • Friend, co-worker and volunteer Chris McCarthy
  • Friend and volunteer Rob Dubé with his angelic sweetie Christine
  • Suzanne, Keven, Kimberley, and Alexandre Auffret
  • The Chain Reaction cycling group, a group of friends from the Ottawa Bicycle Club: Ron Stoneham, Hélène Soucy, Michele Pagé, Craig McHugh, Jane Hammingh, Alex Lewis, and Art Boni riding along to Rockland
  • Colleague Marcel Lemieux

After departing Rockland, we forged into a relentless wind at about 29 kph. FOr about 5 km near Hudson we received the benefit of a crosswind/tailwind, where we picked the pace up to about 40 kph. That’s always fun.

We arrived at Sears Angrignon-Carrefour to a party atmosphere. We bounced up the parking lot entrance buoyed by the beat of some dance music. We circled the parking lot and parked our bikes on the team’s bike rack. As I walked to the entrance, my eyes met the most beautiful eyes in the world, the loving eyes of France. Our arms received each other. There on the steps to the Sears store, I asked France to marry me. She said, “Yes.”

Yes!

The ride to St. Justine’s Children’s Hospital seemed very easy as I floated along, energized by commitment. Climbing Mount Royal passed below my pedals easily. Occasionally, I caught a glimpse of France following us in her car.

Friends J.A. Gamache and Sylvie Limoges met us at the Hospital. It was great to see them. France and I shared our news; J.A. shared his news of winning second place at the Toastmasters Region VI Speech Contest.

After the speeches, I waited until the last possible moment before boarding the RV… and rested in gratitude for health, family, friends, and a soulmate.

Jun
18th
Thu
permalink

2009-06-15 Swift Current to Regina

This morning’s alarm sounded the time to step outside into the fresh air of a truck stop parking lot. The owner and staff opened especially for us. They served a very healthy breakfast, including monster bowls of rib-sticking oatmeal, yogourt, bagels, muffins, fruit, and we even snuck in a cup of coffee. I didn’t need the coffee, but I loved it like I needed it. Today, our bodies started to integrate the strength building work in the Rockies. The gentle slopes enabled us to pace our team more evenly, finding uphill and downhill speeds that worked for all. We visited Moose Jaw, arriving just in time to watch a flyover of two Canadian Forces Snowbirds [if it was another type of aircraft, forgive me], arranged just for us. For me, it was hard to imagine a flyover for us. A reporter from one of the newspapers in Moose Jaw interviewed Jason Morningstar and I. We each answered the question on why we got involved in the ride. What made us decide to do it. Jason shared the experiences with his little boy, Jesse, who had an inoperable tumor in his brain stem. I told my story of being blessed with healthy kids and deciding to ride acorss Canada after hearing about it from someone else while on a bike tour in 2008. For me, with healthy kids and a healthy, strong body, it just seemed like the thing to do. After something like 180 km, to meet our schedule commitment, we shuttled forward to just outside Regina. Some folks gathered for a 10 km ride along ride into Regina. In the parking lot, a woman kindly emptied her purse of change, donating $9 to this important mission. We rode by the RCMP Training Centre and a few other notable locations before arriving at the Sears Western Distribution Centre. What a reception! There must have been 200 people patiently waiting for our arrival, cheering us as we entered the parking lot. It felt a little awkward, waving like a celebrity as people cheered for us. People came up to us and thanked us for what we were doing. We shyly thanked them for the same thing. To every rider, the real heroes are the kids and their families who a dealt the difficult card of cancer. Thanks belong to the health care professionals who do an amazing job of caring for our kids who need their help. As Jenn Davies, the volunteer responsible for organizing the community events across Canada, put it, “all we [riders] have to do is ride bikes.” She was right. We do what we love doing, hoping that it will inspire people like you to click the donate button or ride along or help out. Then we heard the experiences of two “ambassador” families. I guess I will have to get used to my most common response to hearing these stories: tears.

Jun
15th
Mon
permalink
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Enjoy this interview with Roslyn Franken, author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living (www.roslynfranken.com) and host of the internet radio show “How to Thrive after 35” (howtothriveafter35.podomatic.com). 

Diagnosed with cancer at age 29, Roslyn fought back to become a long-term cancer survivor. Then at age 39, at her heaviest weight ever, and concerned for her health, Roslyn decided to fight back once again, only this time to overcome her battles with food and weight once and for all.

She’s been featured on CTV, Rogers, A-Channel and CHCH Television, talk radio across Canada and in the Carribean, and in numerous newspapers across Canada.

Jun
14th
Sun
permalink

2009-06-14 Roger's Pass to Calgary

We awoke atop Roger’s Pass. On one side, a glacier. On the other, a glacier. What beauty, right here at home. I took a few photos, while fearing the impossibility of capturing a fraction of the scale and breath-taking beauty around us, beautiful and cold! We all dressed in our leg warmers, arm warmers, vest AND jacket, anticipating a frigid descent. We were told that because we hadn’t considered the time zone change, were were one hour behind schedule and would have to shuttle forward 30 kms to make up the time.

We descended 30 km and as we did, the air changed, warming considerably. Off go the leg warmers. Off go the arm warmers. Jacket gone. Vest gone. Back to summer clothes.

The roadways are not as steep as I expected, but what they lack in steepness, they mercilessly make up for it with length. The longest climb was  over 10 km. It really hurt having to crane our necks to instamatically capture glimpsed of postcard perfect landscapes that cannot be described with words or even a photograph. They cannot be described; they can only experienced. Make a point of experiencing the Rockies at least once in your life.

As we moved forward to our next starting point, we looked through the rear window at the Rockies and out the front window at the gently sloping pains.

Jun
13th
Sat
permalink

2009-06-13 Vancouver - It Begins...

Kitsilano Beach saw 36 unusual dippers today, 36 dippers wearing cycling gear, dipping their tires in the Pacific Ocean and toasting this defining moment for many. It defined a moment of beginning the ride across Canada to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research and support.

We observed a few moments of silence after which we each wrote a message on a banner telling what we wanted to accompish over the next twelve days. I wrote, “We ride until…”

For the children with cancer this marks a moment when people they do not know continue to work on their behalf to improve the treatments, minimize the side effects of treatment, and one day eliminate cancer. One of my relatives, Nancy met us there. We see each other seldom, so it was nice to reconnect at this very powerful moment. We parted with a hug and tears.

We rode as a large group of 36 riders and the founder of Coast to Coast Against cancer and our leader (he prefers to be called “an enthusiastic volunteer”), Jeff Rushton. We visited A couple of Sears stores in Vancouver, Coquitlam, and Abbotsford, before setting out in our individual teams.

The early kilometers were a little rough as we learned how each other worked. Even so, we clipped along at 30-45 km through gently rolling hillets. After supper we really started to gel, riding in tighter formations, trusting each other’s movements, and helping each other to succeed. Very early on, we agreed that no one can go faster than the slowest person, so we would work so that there was no slow person, only a fast, strong team. It isn’t about the Ride… it’s about working as a team to help the kids and their families.

Jun
11th
Thu
permalink

My Commitment

Meeting Juff Rushton and the other volunteers for the first time is itself an experience. I never before met a group of people who were so absolutely committed to a purpose. They work as if life depended on it, and I realized… a life does depend on it. Most have been touched by cancer, often in a child, sometimes their own child. They work because the life of their child depends on it.

Jeff continues to let us know that it is not about the Ride. It is about what we are doing: raising funds and awareness of childhood cancer reasearch so that one day, no parent ever needs to hear the words, “Your child has cancer,” so that children being treated now can avoid the adverse side effects that can be so difficult.

Back home, Jacob Randell’s parents brought him home from Montreal’s St-Justine’s Hospital on June 6. They took down the Christmas tree now that Jacob came home. He is going through physiotherapy to be able to walk again. He is learning how to eat again. His parents are able to tuck him in to his own bed in his own home. They don’t know for sure how much time he has, but then none of us really knows how much time we have. They do know that every day at home will be easier than the treatment and they have a little boy again.

I am blessed with two healthy boys, Brandon and Josh. They have a health and vitality that I used to take for granted. Doing this Ride, meeting Jacob, and meeting the kids at the Children’s Hospital of British Columbia solidified my commitment for why I am and we are doing this Ride.

Tazo Chai Latte is one of my favourite drinks. One of the volunteers, Jamie, treated me to one. On the cup was written:

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.”

Anne Morriss, Starbucks customer

I am committed to completing this ride, to keeping it in perspective, to letting go of any ego involvement, to helping out as much as I can.

I am committed to helping children and families to live beyond cancer.

I am committed to my children Brandon and Josh.

I am committed to the love of my life, France, and her children Gabriel and Pénélope.

Jun
9th
Tue
permalink

Vancouver, a beautiful end of the Earth

Edmonton was the farthest west I ever travelled in Canada. Today I would venture to the Pacific coast.

France, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, and my friend Rob Dubé took me to the airport on this very cool morning. France borrowed my Sears National Kids Cancer Ride jacket to ward off Ottawa’s subarctic summer. She parked her car while Rob helped me carry the gear inside. We parted with a guy-love hug. He headed to the veterinarian to remove part of his dog that makes it irritatingly excited. I passed.

While Air Canada robbed me of $100 for checking-in a small gym bag that I could have carried on for free if I was willing to hold up the departure line to transfer liquids between bags, I looked around for my sweetheart, but she was nowhere in sight. Present ID. Look. Present credit card… feel the pain. Look. Get boarding pass. Look, feel a moment of longing and… there she is, leaning against a cocktail-size counter looking at me, amused as I looked for her.

Meeting the eyes of The Most Beautiful Woman in the World is surely one of life’s great compensations.

We strolled to the security gate and shared a few special moments until the last possible moment. As I walked behind the glass wall, France could see only my head and shoulders. I faked falling. As I disappeared below the frosted glass, I caught a glimpse of her forming smile, fully formed, as I lept back into view. I like to make her smile.

“It’s Not About The Bike,” Lance Armstrong’s autobiography was on my in-flight reading list until my attention got tangled in the new in-flight entertainment system. I’m a movie buff, so “The Watchmen” and “The Reader” filled the space between Ottawa and Vancouver.

As I secured a limousine for the short trip to the University of British Columbia, where we would stay until Saturday, I leaned into the trunk space and the driver intentionally thrust the lid down and accidentally struck me in the head. ”There Will Be Blood” is a movie that didn’t particularly appeal to me. It still doesn’t, but it was my first thought as blood trickled out of my head. Note to self: Wear a helmet near cars.

For the rest of the day, I went for a 2-hour easy bike ride around the University, downtown, and along the shoreline. What a beautiful place, with the mountains embracing West Vancouver’s ascending suburbia.

Time to relax… Zzzzzzz.

May
31st
Sun
permalink

2009-06-01 "An Evening of Inspiration - A Lifetime of Hope"

Results:

About 30 people attended, including some lifelong and long missed friends.

We raised $309.00, including $100.00 with charitable receipts and $209.00 unreceipted. Everyone left with inspiration, knowledge, and some kind of gift.

Thank you again to our speakers J.A. Gamache, Peggy McColl, and Chris Ford for their generosity, wisdom and awesome speaking talents. We wish J.A. all the best in his quest at the Regional level in Cleveland on June 12-13 for the World Championship of Public Speaking. Thank you Peggy for sharing the gift of giving with your 20,000 subscribers to www.destinies.com.

Thank you to my sweetheart, France Lachance, who drove all the way from Montréal after work, just to be with me in faith and support. Let’s go the distance together!

Craig

────────────────────────────────────────────────

Date: Monday, 2009-06-01
Location: National Library of Canada, 385 Wellington Street, Ottawa, ON
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE! FREE! FREE!

Fundraiser for the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride - Craig Senior, supporting Coast to Coast Against Cancer, registered charity #8282 52346 RR0001.

Featuring
——————————————————————

J.A. Gamache

J.A. Gamache

J.A. Gamache is an internationally-acclaimed bilingual Keynoter and Inspirational Speaker. His theatre-like performance combined with his colourful speeches carry his audience in a universe where even when we lose we can still win. This touch of wisdom makes his discourses as humorous as it is dramatic. J.A. won third place in the 2001 World Championship of Public Speaking. He competed twice more at the World Championships in 2005 and in 2007.

He authored “Good Bye Jitters! 77 tips to overcome your fear of public speaking,” which is published in English and French.

He is also the loving husband of a breast cancer survivor, J.A. Gamache will share with us in a humorous way how to” find a gift” in such a battle.

Click to see his speech “Being Mr. G”

http://www.JAGamache.com

Peggy McColl

Peggy McColl

Peggy McColl is a New York Times Best Selling Author and an internationally recognized expert in the area of goal achievement AND an expert in helping experts create products, make money online and create “best sellers”!

With her goal achievement seminars, speaking engagements and books she has inspired individuals, professional athletes and organizations to realize their goals and reach their maximum potential for the past twenty-five years.   Her purpose is to make a positive contribution to the lives of millions!

Click to hear a testimonial about Peggy by her dog, Pablo.

http://www.Destinies.com

Chris Ford

Chris Ford

Chris Ford served in the Military Engineering branch of the Canadian Army for 35 years, retiring in 2001 as a brigadier-general.    He received the Order of Military Merit from the Governor General of Canada for service in former Yugoslavia in the 90s, and has received numerous other decorations for his military service.

Chris has been a member of Toastmasters International - a worldwide organization dedicated to better communication and leadership - for over 27 years.  He was International President in 2007-08, during which he promoted his theme around the world: “Toastmasters: Shaping Ourselves… Shaping Our World!”

He is an active supporter of Canadian Diabetes Association, volunteering as a speaker, trainer, advocate and fund-raiser as a member of Team Diabetes Canada (marathon runners).

He also runs his own communications and leadership consulting business called, appropriately, “Generally Speaking”.


Craig Senior

Craig Senior

Craig Senior is Ottawa’s only National Rider, one of 36 riders from across Canada, in the 2009 Sears National Kids Cancer Ride, cycling across Canada in June to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer.. He is President of CSL Consulting, providing computer consulting services. He is seven time winner of the Toastmasters District 61 contest.

http://CraigSenior.SNKCR.com

Fundraising

  • Silent Auction
  • 50/50 Draw
  • Raffle

http://SearsNationalKidsCancerRide.com
http://CoastToCoastAgainstCancer.org