On the 12th day of the Movement, Oliver Stankiewicz hopes to say;
He’ll run a 12th straight marathon on Mother’s Day.
Stankiewicz, from Vernon, and his partner Marie Articus started the Movement Project in 2021 for Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation and the McMurtry-Baerg Cancer Centre as a way to give back to the hospital that supported Oliver’s mom Laura Stankiewicz in the final days of her life.
Laura was diagnosed with uterine cancer which unfortunately, shortly after, took her life in August, 2020. The Movement Project was started in her honour and is a tribute to who she was as a person and a mom. Since the duo started the project, it has raised more than $150,000 for the hospital foundation and the cancer centre through trail running initiatives and events.
This year, Oliver has his sights set on running a marathon (42.2 kilometres) a day, every day, for the month of May to create awareness about the Movement Project.
He and Articus are looking for pledges from the community, businesses, and individuals to help reach their goal of raising funds for a new piece of equipment and technology at VJH.
“The capital required for this equipment is approximately $150,000 and we dream of funding as much of this as possible in Laura’s honour,” said Stankiewicz.
The new equipment and technology will aid in breast cancer lumpectomy surgeries performed at VJH.
Stankiewicz said trials have shown the new technology has increased the effectiveness and accuracy of the surgery, and enhanced patient comfort during the procedure.
“This equipment is critical for the surgical team at VJH and in order to continue to use the equipment beyond the trials, the capital will need to be purchased by the summer,” said Stankiewicz. “Marie and I are motivated to fund this project to ensure the equipment and capital can stay in Vernon and help with these procedures.”
Here is a link to an interview with Dr. Horkoff, one of the general surgeons that is spearheading the Lumpectomy Seed Localization Project at VJH: https://vimeo.com/927811679.
To make a donation or to learn more about the Stankiewicz/Articus project, visit www.themovementrun.com.
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