Hike for the Cure
Stomp Out Prostate Cancer!
I’ve always hiked, well, at least since the age of five I have always hiked. I started out by hiking with my father who was a wildlife biologist. I loved to tag along with him while he studied wildlife and the complexities of ecosystems.
Mom also taught me how to hike, and while hiking, how to pick edibles. My stomach and I Ioved to tag along with her. The edible I enjoyed the most was the black huckleberry, and to this day it is my favourite.
Being raised in the wilds of Wells Gray Park, on the lands of the Simpcw and Tsq'escen', my backyard was nature unbounded. My love of hiking grew as did I, and I made a point of “seeing what was over the next hill” whenever I could.
Because I was immersed in nature from a very young age and always hiking, I was not immediately aware of how therapeutic my outdoor activity was.
When we had moved to a bigger city I learned that life in the city, even a small city, can disrupt the grounding that nature brings. I also learned that whenever I was stressed or depressed, a hike in nature would always cure me.
When out on a hike, whether it be in the moss-rich rain forests, the awe-inspiring mountains, or the rolling grasslands, nature always brought a sense of calm to me.
This type of hiking therapy is a big part of what is helping me through what will be a lifelong and very personal fight against metastatic prostate cancer.
I was diagnosed in the summer of 2024 with the disease and the news was a gut punch to say the least. When prostate cancer remains within the prostate, the prognosis is usually favourable. When prostate cancer appears as a synchronous metastatic cancer (meaning it shows up elsewhere in the body the same time you are diagnosed with the main tumour), then the prognosis is not so good.
The day I was handed a large envelope of medications with a large white sticker that read “Palliative Care”, I knew that I had a fight ahead of me. A lot of great treatments are being developed every year in the fight against this horrible disease, but as of yet, there is no definitive cure – just the hope to stave it off as long as possible.
With your support we can help make a permanent cure happen. I have chosen “Hike for the Cure” to be the name of my fundraising campaign as I will be hiking while raising awareness and funds to find a cure for the disease. At the same time I, and my fellow hikers, will also be taking the best therapy possible: hiking in nature. It’s a win-win situation.
Every dollar raised helps, and I hope to see you and your friends out on the trail hiking for the cure!
For more information on joining in on a hike or making donations to the Canadian Cancer Society please see Hike for the Cure l Facebook Group 
