His own daughter, Trinette, who turns nine Sept. 6, is healthy. But for Lumby insurance broker Tarryn Lapointe, he again took part in the countrywide Great Cycle Challenge to fight kids’ cancer.
The disease is the largest killer of children in Canada with 27 children diagnosed every week.
“Right now, there are more than 1,400 children diagnosed with cancer every year. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it,” said Lapointe, 43, who raised nearly $1,200 in his month-long campaign in August, riding his bike more than 300 kilometres.
His goal was to raise $550, which he more than doubled, as he completed the cycling challenge Saturday and Monday.
On Saturday, Aug. 29, Lapointe left from his office at Westland Insurance, cycled to Vernon’s Save-On-Foods at the Shops at Polson Park and returned home to the village — a personal best mileage of 52.5 kilometres.
The round trip took him four hours.
“I’ve never biked that much,” said Lapointe, who drew huge support from his wife, Katrina, during the month.
“I kept pushing myself,” he said. “I like cycling and I wanted to do something that made my family proud.”
He lost his mom, Debbie, to cancer, and she, his wife and his own daughter were often on his mind as he cycled through August.
Lapointe completed his final eight kilometres before work Monday morning, Aug. 31, wheeling up and down Mabel Lake Road.
You can still donate to Lapointe’s efforts. Go to greatcyclechallenge.ca and type in Tarryn’s name under participant search.
The Great Cycle Challenge began in 2016, and after just four years, the event has grown to become one of the biggest cycling events across Canada.
People of all ages, abilities and from every province across the country set themselves a personal riding goal and challenge themselves to pedal throughout August to fight kids’ cancer.
In four years, riders from all 13 provinces and territories have ridden a total of 10,294,551 kms, and raised $12,412,026 in support of research to develop treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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