A Route For Every Rider, A Reason For Everyone To Ride
Margaret is many things. She is an active member of her local nature club, enjoys riding her trike and cherishes her roles as a retiree, wife, aunt and sister. She is a woman of many talents, from teaching to sewing, and her love of travel has taken her on many adventures.
Margaret is also a cancer survivor.
“I have a family history of cancer. When my brother was fighting his own battle with breast cancer, he was living in Brampton and all of his treatments were in Toronto. I saw firsthand how terrible it was for him – enduring that drive home after chemo… so when I heard about the Big Move, 11 years ago, I knew this was a cause I had to support.”
Margaret knew people from Niagara who, at the time, had to drive to Hamilton and Toronto to receive their cancer treatments. “So when I saw that Big Move billboard, I thought, how wonderful that people don’t have to travel that far anymore! I saw a good cause, I had my trike, so I went home, checked it out and signed up!” The rest is history.
This year marked Margaret’s sixth time participating in the Big Move. “As in my past rides, I held thoughts of my family members and friends who have been affected by cancer: my younger brother John and my mother, who died of cancer in her brain. Also, my older sister Ann, who had a similar journey to mine and is now doing well.”
After losing her brother to breast cancer, Margaret began annual breast cancer screenings when she was 34 years old. In 2022, her sister Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer, and three months later, Margaret received the same diagnosis. “We both had lumpectomies and needed radiation.”
Walking into the Walker Family Cancer Centre (WFCC) for her first consultation with the oncologist was an eye-opening experience for Margaret. “I had had no reason to come to the WFCC until that point, so it was the first time I could see what I had been raising money for all these years.”
She says that participating in the Big Move had always just been her way of giving back “and then it hit me that I had suddenly become a part of the community who needs this equipment, who needs this event.”
Margaret is grateful for the care she received at the WFCC. “I am grateful for the staff because everybody truly seems happy to be working there, which makes such a difference when you walk through those doors, and I am grateful for the equipment. The building is well looked after and looks brand new,” Margaret says, adding that her experience gave her a new appreciation for the importance of the Big Move.
In 2023, cancer touched Margaret’s life once again when her husband Peter was diagnosed with lung cancer. “It was small and they were able to treat it with radiation but my husband hates hospitals, so he was dreading the appointments. Once we started going in for his radiation treatments, and he saw how organized everything was and how kind the staff was, he said to me: “That was the best hospital experience I’ve ever had!’”
Margaret has raised an incredible $2,840 for this year’s Big Move and shared her story with other participants as they got ready for their rides. “People often say: ‘How can I help?’ or ‘I wish there was something I could do.’ To me, the Big Move Cancer Ride is one thing I can do. It’s something most of us can do. And, if you’re not able to ride, you can always donate. It’s an opportunity to give back to the community and it feels good!”
A Route For Every Rider, A Reason For Everyone To Ride
Margaret is many things. She is an active member of her local nature club, enjoys riding her trike and cherishes her roles as a retiree, wife, aunt and sister. She is a woman of many talents, from teaching to sewing, and her love of travel has taken her on many adventures.
Margaret is also a cancer survivor.
“I have a family history of cancer. When my brother was fighting his own battle with breast cancer, he was living in Brampton and all of his treatments were in Toronto. I saw firsthand how terrible it was for him – enduring that drive home after chemo… so when I heard about the Big Move, 11 years ago, I knew this was a cause I had to support.”
Margaret knew people from Niagara who, at the time, had to drive to Hamilton and Toronto to receive their cancer treatments. “So when I saw that Big Move billboard, I thought, how wonderful that people don’t have to travel that far anymore! I saw a good cause, I had my trike, so I went home, checked it out and signed up!” The rest is history.
This year marked Margaret’s sixth time participating in the Big Move. “As in my past rides, I held thoughts of my family members and friends who have been affected by cancer: my younger brother John and my mother, who died of cancer in her brain. Also, my older sister Ann, who had a similar journey to mine and is now doing well.”
After losing her brother to breast cancer, Margaret began annual breast cancer screenings when she was 34 years old. In 2022, her sister Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer, and three months later, Margaret received the same diagnosis. “We both had lumpectomies and needed radiation.”
Walking into the Walker Family Cancer Centre (WFCC) for her first consultation with the oncologist was an eye-opening experience for Margaret. “I had had no reason to come to the WFCC until that point, so it was the first time I could see what I had been raising money for all these years.”
She says that participating in the Big Move had always just been her way of giving back “and then it hit me that I had suddenly become a part of the community who needs this equipment, who needs this event.”
Margaret is grateful for the care she received at the WFCC. “I am grateful for the staff because everybody truly seems happy to be working there, which makes such a difference when you walk through those doors, and I am grateful for the equipment. The building is well looked after and looks brand new,” Margaret says, adding that her experience gave her a new appreciation for the importance of the Big Move.
In 2023, cancer touched Margaret’s life once again when her husband Peter was diagnosed with lung cancer. “It was small and they were able to treat it with radiation but my husband hates hospitals, so he was dreading the appointments. Once we started going in for his radiation treatments, and he saw how organized everything was and how kind the staff was, he said to me: “That was the best hospital experience I’ve ever had!’”
Margaret has raised an incredible $2,840 for this year’s Big Move and shared her story with other participants as they got ready for their rides. “People often say: ‘How can I help?’ or ‘I wish there was something I could do.’ To me, the Big Move Cancer Ride is one thing I can do. It’s something most of us can do. And, if you’re not able to ride, you can always donate. It’s an opportunity to give back to the community and it feels good!”
