Sprott-Shaw Blog

On June 20 and 21 roughly 2,000 riders will be participating in the “Ride to Conquer Cancer”, one of the cyclists is our own Annie R who is an LPN instructor at our Kelowna campus!

The bike ride is for anyone; the only requirement is that you are able to ride the distance! The cyclists will be riding 120 km each day, with an overnight camp between Vancouver and Seattle. Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $2500.00; with a rough estimate of 2000 riders I am sure they will raise more than the required amount. Former pro cyclist and Tour de France participant Axel Merckx will by the captain on the ride!

Many of the cyclists have their own personal reasons for joining the ride. Many may have dealt with cancer themselves or lost family members to cancer. Our LPN instructor Annie has her own reasons and she was kind enough to allow me to write about her story:

Annie has been working as a Licensed Practical Nurse Instructor at Sprott Shaw for just over a year. In 2007, Annie was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Non Hodgkin’s disease it is a blood cancer and quite honestly a death sentence. Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes. “Lymph nodes are found throughout the body and act as filters or traps for foreign particles. They contain white blood cells. So they are important for the proper functioning of the immune system.”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node) The cause of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is unknown; it can be triggered by an infection or a compromised immune system. Some symptoms include fever, night sweats, swollen glands, fatigue and weight loss. (http://www.webmd.com/cancer/non-hodgekins-lymphoma/default.htm) Annie heard about the Ride to Conquer Cancer event during her chemo therapy session. Right there Annie made a personal goal; she decided that she would make herself healthy so she can be one of the cyclists! Annie has been undergoing a new type of treatment called Imuno Therapy; she has been doing this treatment for 2 years and it is working. It is curing Annie’s Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

She is riding in order to raise more money for research! Sprott Shaw Community College is one of the many supporters for the Ride to Conquer Cancer! In order to conquer cancer we need to help each other. If you are interested in donating to support a great cause check out the website http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=1281 .

Sprott Shaw Community College wishes Annie and all the other cyclists the best during the ride!

♥ Doll