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Ride for Dad helps inspire hope for those battling prostate cancer

More than 650 motorcyclists give 'all those with prostate cancer hope that things will improve'

The sound of hundreds of motorcycles sputtering to life echoes with reverberations of hope for Colin Wackett.

Standing before a sea of motorcyclists, their shiny bikes leaning on kickstands for as far as the eye can see, Wackett was overcome with gratitude for those from around the region who came to Orillia Saturday for the 14th annual Telus Ride for Dad (Huronia) to raise money for and awareness about prostate cancer.

“What do you accomplish when you make a donation to the Ride for Dad?” Wackett asked the throng of more than 650 riders. “The most important thing you do is you give all those with prostate cancer hope that things will improve.”

Wackett, the driving force behind the event since its inception 14 years ago, told the riders about his own journey with the dreaded disease. He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer almost two decades ago.

He had surgery, but the cancer returned. “Then I had radiation and it came back, but as a result of what can now be accomplished, I’ve survived for 19 years,” said Wackett. “And I have to tell you I intend to continue working on the Ride for Dad until the day comes that I cannot.”

The Ride for Dad, he said, is vitally important. It raises money that is critical to life-saving research.

“Every bit of research that is done and proven successful expands the optimism of the man with prostate cancer,” said Wackett. “It’s not a simple process to find the cure and once it returns – and it often does – when it returns it’s categorized as uncurable.”

Thanks to money raised at Ride for Dad events, held across the country, research is improving the fate of men with prostate cancer, said a trio of radiation oncologists from Sunnybrook Hospital that specialize in the treatment of and research into prostate cancer.

Hans Chung, Lucas Mendez and Stan Liu were on hand for Saturday’s event and shared some of the work they are exploring as they attempt to improve treatments and extend men’s lives.

The trio were “amazed” by the number of participants, the camaraderie of the motorcyclists and their commitment to the cause.

“It is very challenging to get money for research right now,” said Liu. “The Orillia Ride for Dad, consistently, time and time again, has sponsored research – not just our research, but research of our colleagues at Sunnybrook and that research has then gone on to make a big difference for patients.”

Chung said researchers must submit grant applications that are then peer reviewed by a panel that approves grants based on their merit.

Chung, who has been treating prostate cancer for over 10 years, is exploring salvage brachytherapy, which is research aimed to help those who have a relapse of cancer after radiation. “Up until this became available, there really was no option for a cure,” said Chung. Now, he said, there “is an option to try to cure these patients.”

Liu and Mendez, meanwhile, are exploring the role of the immune system in fighting cancer. “(Mendez) approached me and said we should be looking at the immune system with specialized type of radiation treatment. So, one, does the change in immune system predict who’s going to respond to radiation and how likely is it that the cancer will come back and … can we make those immune cells work better in the future to tackle prostate cancer?”

Grant money is vital, said Mendez. “It’s of great importance to do these first steps … we need to start with seed grants like these.”

“The seed grant provides a springboard to get preliminary data to get to the next step,” added Liu. “They’re willing to say, ‘here’s the money. Go for it!’”

Liu said many agencies are not willing to fund this type of research. “The Ride for Dad has been a major source of support for Sunnybrook researchers.”

And that’s why the trio made the trip from Toronto to support the efforts. “Compared to the work they do, it’s the least we can do,” said Liu.

Wackett was thankful the researches came and shared their work. “It’s so good that they (come) and explain how the donations will be spent,” he said.

Celebrity ride captain Jason McCoy agreed.

“Money raised here goes to research right in our area and helps people right around the world,” he said. “It’s so great to have (the researchers) here to let us know what’s going on on the cutting edge of the research.”

While donations and pledges have not yet been tallied – one rider raised over $10,000 – the local Ride for Dad has raised “well over $1 million” to date, said Wackett.

After the riders participated in the opening ceremony at Orillia’s Legion at the waterfront, the motorcyclists made their way through town, under police escort, to Lakehead University. There, they picked up the first card of their poker hand.

From Lakehead, the riders travelled to Barrie, before heading to Creemore, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Penetang before returning to Orillia for entertainment and a steak barbecue that concludes the day-long event.


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Dave Dawson

About the Author: Dave Dawson

Dave Dawson is community editor of OrilliaMatters.com
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