People often tell me I am crazy to ride from one capital city to another. Maybe I am ? Let me explain why I do these crazy things. I am a big supporter of Tour de Cure and help them raise funds to find a Cure for Cancer. In 2004 we received the news that no family wants to hear. My father-in-law had been diagnosed with CANCER. It was an aggressive skin cancer. The doctors started treatment immediately and the cancer appeared to have gone. 6 months later he had a small sore on his back and went to the doctors. Probably nothing to worry about but we will remove it for you the doctors said. We realised almost straight away that the cancer was back. He had a large mass on his lungs and a small dot on his intestine. Chemo started and was to last for 3 months. He lost a little weight but was looking good and said to us “I feel really good. I cant wait for the next set of test. I think it has gone”. On the weekend of his wedding anniversary he had some tremendous pain in his stomach. The doctor came to the house and gave him some pain medication thinking it was a side effect of the chemo. Nothing seemed to work and finally after 2 days of severe pain he went to hospital. The dot on his intestine had grown (almost as though it was feeding on the chemo) to the point where it rapped around the intestine and cut off the flow. They operated to relieve the pain and then did some tests. The cancer was still there and had grown. Over the next 2 weeks we took turns in keeping him company. The doctors by this time had told us that there was nothing more they could do. I would spend each afternoon sitting by his bedside doing some work and keeping him company. If he wanted to sleep, I let him sleep. If he wanted t talk, we talked. In that 2 weeks I watched as his stomach grow. I never thought cancer could be so aggressive. 2005 was a bad year for our family. I lost my Grand Father to cancer. I lost 2 friends to cancer. A good friends mother died from cancer. I lost a foster cousin to diabetes. The worst moment in 2005 was the day Gary Taylor died from cancer. Gary was a husband, a father (father-in-law), a grand father, a brother, an uncle, a friend and so much more. In 2005 ….. on June the 2nd …… Gary lost his battle with cancer.

While riding through the snowy mountains in 2011 I was with Tour de Cure I was asked what was Gary’s best quality. He had many but it was a very proud and strong family man. This year I will once again ride in memory of a good family man.

We ride to find a cure for cancer.

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