BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

Biking 50 kilometres every day, 265 kilometres on the weekends, and cycling all the way back to Montreal from Ottawa might sound like a daunting task to most. But that’s exactly what Ste. Anne de Bellevue resident Stephanie Speth has been doing to get set for this summer’s Sears National Kids Cancer Ride, which get underway on June 2, and will see cyclists like Speth pedal from Vancouver to Halifax in 19 days.

“Health and wellness play a huge role in both my personal and professional life,” said Speth, 37, an employee at Pfizer Canada in Kirkland. “I’ve always wondered how a child goes through cancer, how a family gets through that.”

Organized by the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, the 50 cyclists taking part in the 7,600-kilometre trek will raise money for 17 pediatric oncology centres across Canada, including the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Ste. Justine’s Hospital.

To reach her $35,000-goal, Speth organized a ‘Shave to Save’ at the Pfizer office yesterday afternoon and has a fundraiser evening at Clydes in Pointe Claire planned for May 15. She has also given talks at local schools about what she is doing.

“My big push is, you guys are healthy and well, but don’t take it for granted,” Speth said. “On average, there are 10,000 kids that are diagnosed – kids under 18 – in Canada every year. And 20 per cent don’t make it.”

Speth said her endeavour has garnered a lot of support from her co-workers: Melissa Horowitz, Pfizer’s learning manager for oncology, and her 11-year-old son even had a date with the razor yesterday afternoon for the ‘Shave to Save.’

She said her son had wanted to do this for a very long time.

“When I heard about what Stephanie was doing, that’s when I made the link between my son and what she’s doing. I figured, if he can do it, so can I,” Horowitz said, adding she wasn’t too worried about being bald for the next little while. “In the big picture, I think of the kids who have to go through much harder events, day by day. My son and I have the choice to do this. They don’t have the choice, so it puts it all into perspective.”

Speth said she hopes the community will come out and support her at Clydes, 286 Lakeshore Rd., next Thursday at 9:30 p.m. The cost is $10, with all proceeds from admission and raffle tickets going to the cause. Speth’s blog, which she has been keeping as up to date as possible, can be visited at www.2008.snkcr.com .hC

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