26th
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.
