May 2012

A tribute to Tom Stobart through the 2012 Ride to Conquer Cancer

 Earlier this year a great man from Victoria, Tom Stobart [a.k.a. Stobie] pasted away after another lengthy struggle with cancer. He had battled the disease long & hard for the better part of 10 yrs. Tom leaves behind a loving & loved family who will miss him dearly as well as a very large number of folks who have been blessed by having Tom in their life.  Stobie was significant contributor to the rugby community in Victoria, on the Island, around BC and across the Canada.

In honor of man described above I have dedicated my 2012 Ride to Conquer Cancer in Tom's memory. The goal of the Ride is to make battles such as Tom's a thing of the past and until then less intrusive in so many people's lives. Every dollar raised will certainly assist the BC Cancer Foundation as their researchers  are working daily to strengthen efforts in the diagnosis, the treatment and very importantly the prevention of cancer. As indicted above Tom did battle this disease with for a long time and some of that time is probably due to the benefits of on going research and development.

This is the second year that I have registered for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. There were a number of reasons for my wanting to participate last year. However as I get into my second year of preparation the bottom line is that I believe in the cause 100%. If 2 out of 5 Canadians are going to be diagnosed with cancer then perhaps we need to address that alarming stat. There are just too many Tom Stobarts; now, in the future and in the past who are, will or have to battled the disease.

With my 2012 Ride being in Tom's memory he has been and will continue to be my training mentor in abstention. I have also named 'Stobie' as the 1st Honorary Captain of 'TEAM 5 PLUS'. For a fuller description of 'TEAM 5 PLUS' format please refer to my February post below.

By following the 'GREEN DONATE' tabs you will be able access the on line process for making contributions to the BC Cancer Foundation. Any support that you are able to offer will be greatly appreciated. Should you have any questions about the ride or donations, the best way to contact me would be via e-mail at ridewithdan@shaw.ca.

In closing I thank you in advance for your consideration and support.

Sincerely, Dan Devlin

Stobie was a big fan of Dr. Seuss who once said? 

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened"

February 2012

This year represents the 2nd year in a row that I have participated in the Ride To Conquer Cancer [RTCC]. The primary purpose of the RTCC is to raise funds for the BC Cancer Agency enabling their research teams to develop more effective methods of detecting cancer and to battle cancer. The Ride in 2011 was indeed very successful with over 11 Million Dollars raised. 2011 was the third year for the RTCC.

In 2011 the RTCC involved two days of cycling from Vancouver to Seattle, 115 k each day and to say that it was truly amazing experience is definitely an understatement for several reasons.  My goal was to raise $6000.00. Fortunately due to the tremendous support of many, many donors the final total was $10,200.00 which is beyond my wildest expectations. But the most remarkable reward came from joining with 3000 other riders of such varied backgrounds over the 2 days and to hear about what made their commitment to the RTCC so strong.

However my strongest reason for participating again this year is based on a very disturbing fact that just out of my 2011 donors list alone, five individuals [or a family member] were diagnosed with cancer last year. That number does not include the names of several other friends/family members who I know have also had to start their own battle with this disease in 2011. They say that 2 out of 5 people will have to battle cancer in their lifetime. All these folks are going to benefit from the success of events like The Ride To Conquer Cancer.

In a show of support, encouragement and admiration for all these people I have formed a team; TEAM 5 PLUS  which represents the 5 folks from my 2011 donor list PLUS all the other people that both you & I know of who are and/or have battled this disease. Based my success last year and hoping that it wasn't all beginners luck my goal in 2012 is to raise $7000.00 [$1000.00 per decade. I turned 60 last year.]. Certainly any support that you can offer will be very greatly appreciated. The easiest and quickest method to make a donation can be achieved on line at '2012 Ride To Conquer Cancer BC page' and follow the green prompt DONATE.

Should you have any questions about the ride or donations, the best way to contact me would be via e-mail at ridewithdan@shaw.ca.

A very big thank you in advance for your consideration and support.

Sincerely, Dan Devlin

Support Team 5 Plus!