RIDER STORIES

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Presented by

2025

2024

“It’s all about the people”: Fifth-time rider Steve De Belie shares his reasons to ride

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Author: Nicole Topple - Publish date: September 27, 2024 With BMO Ride for Cancer taking place this Saturday (Sept. 28), rider Steve De Belie believes there’s a common thread amongst all event participants. “Ultimately when it comes…

Cancer survivor Jack Palmer riding for those who can’t

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Author: Sarah Marshall Facing a cancer diagnosis is intimidating for anyone. For a young adult just starting out, it adds an extra layer of uncertainty. At age 23, Jack Palmer was on the brink of new beginnings – he had just moved…

From ocean jumps to workplace fundraisers: Jenna and High Liner Foods Captain’s Crew are an unstoppable force

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris  Jenna Goulden admits to being a little nervous when she signed-up for her first BMO Ride for Cancer in 2019, but she quickly rose to the cycling challenge and the event has now become an annual tradition…

Riding for loved ones and the future: The inspiring family behind Cure Cyclers

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris  Anick Lamoureux and Eric Valois are teaching their children the importance of supporting the community through their involvement with BMO Ride for Cancer. Originally from Quebec, the couple and their two…

Remembering Marc: How Kimberley is honouring her late partner and transforming cancer care for future patients

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris  Everyone has a reason for taking part in BMO Ride for Cancer. For Kimberley Wotherspoon, it has become a way of honoring her late partner, Marc, who passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012 at the…

Against All Odds: A team’s mission to give back for those facing cancer

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris & Nicole Topple Logan Berkvens is this year’s team captain of the Against All Odds BMO Ride for Cancer team (pictured below). He’s joined by his fiancée, Kenzie Lewis, and close friends, Jennifer…

Sockstars rockstars: Workplace team rallies for local cancer treatment and care

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris Jenn Currie’s first experience with BMO Ride for Cancer began as a volunteer, but she quickly became so inspired by the event that she couldn’t resist the urge to take part as a rider. While volunteering…

A decade of friendship and riding strong in memory of loved ones lost to cancer

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris A chance meeting at a Tim Horton’s on their way to the very first BMO Ride for Cancer a decade ago led to a very special friendship between Cheryl Jeffers-Johnson and Laura Ayer-Wile. Although total strangers,…

Generations in pink capes: A family’s tribute to their loving wife, mother and grandmother

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris If you’ve seen pink capes flash by you on the trail or at the finish line during past BMO Ride for Cancer events, it was likely one of the many loved ones riding in honour and memory of Linda Bonin. According…

Prostate cancer survivor and Emera/NS Power team captain rides in memory of his late brother and for those currently facing cancer

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Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terris John McNamara jokingly describes himself as the most annoying fundraiser ever. His tenacity when it comes to collecting donations has allowed him to personally raise nearly $13,000 for BMO Ride for Cancer…

2023

Remembering Cara Beals: a team’s mission to honour their friend and late BMO Ride for Cancer participant

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Pictured: Cara Beals (right) at the 2022 BMO Ride for Cancer. Cara, who passed away from neuroendocrine cancer in June 2023, was a longtime BMO Ride participant; her friends and loved ones now fundraise in her honour. Originally published…

In memory and motion: Lauren’s reasons to Ride for local cancer care

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Pictured: Lauren Currie with her late father. Lauren will cycle 75 km in the upcoming BMO Ride for Cancer 2023, in memory of her father, who passed away from cancer. Amidst a bustling schedule, Lauren Currie, hailing from Dartmouth, Nova…
Rob McLeod gearing up to ride in the 2022 BMO Ride for Cancer event.

Vancouver BMO rider, Rob McLeod, embraces life’s challenges with a positive mindset and unwavering hope

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Rider and cancer survivor, Rob McLeod, travels from Vancouver, BC to ride in his third BMO Ride for Cancer event. A Vancouver resident has been training and raising funds to bring the best cancer care technology to Atlantic Canada through…
Chris and Cooper Carpenter smiling.

Riding for life-saving care, at home

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Chris Carpenter (left) is the father of 10-year-old, two-time cancer survivor, Cooper (right). He’s riding for his son and to help bring treatment closer to home for other families. Chris Carpenter understands how invaluable it is to have…

‘You feel surrounded by it’: Colleagues share their reasons to ride

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From left to right: BMO employees, Ina Comeau-Collins, Financial Planner (Yarmouth & Liverpool) and Laura Gibson (second image, far left), Vice President of Commercial Banking (Nova Scotia & PEI) As title sponsor of BMO Ride for…

2022

Stephen Beamish’s story

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Our BMO Ride team is truly honoured to work with patients like Stephen Beamish and his family. Sharing his story and fundraising efforts was incredibly important to him, even in his final days. We wrote this article featuring Stephen and his…

In celebration and memory: BMO Rider Jessica Boudreau rides for cancer survivors like herself and to honour her late parents

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Tucked away in the attic of Jessica Boudreau’s home in Isle Madame, Cape Breton is a unique piece of art, hand-crafted for her as a symbol of her fight against and survival of cancer. The canvas? The mask Jessica wore while she underwent radiation…

Chronicle Herald: The WM Fares Family Foundation is doubling all donations to BMO Ride for Cancer, up to $300,000

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Caption: Wadih and Cathy Fares (pictured) are the donors behind the WM Fares Family Foundation, who are matching all donations to BMO Ride for Cancer on Sept. 15. They hope their matching gift, which is part of a larger $500,000 donation, will…

Pictou County resident and cancer survivor rides for personalized radiotherapy

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Pictured: BMO Ride participant, Shawna Coleman, with her husband While it was more than a decade ago, Shawna Coleman vividly recalls the feeling that something was wrong in her body. She underwent a series of tests right before attending her…

Full-circle fundraising: QEII cancer patient and rider helped by genetic sequencing technology all-in for BMO Ride 2022

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During BMO Ride 2021, Patti Davidson fundraised for genetic sequencing technology and afterwards found out the technology was used in her own QEII cancer treatment. This year, she’s going all-in fundraising for BMO Ride for Cancer 2022 with…

Marking milestones: rider Michelle Higgins takes on her first bmo ride one year after cancer diagnosis

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Why is Michelle Higgins riding in this year’s BMO Ride for Cancer? Because she can. It seems simple, but for Michelle, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in June 2021, riding her bike to raise awareness and funds to advance cancer…

Cancer scare makes a physician’s Ride ‘deeply personal’: Today, all donations to BMO Ride for Cancer are doubled, up to $100K

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Pictured: Dr. Howard Conter. Originally published by the Chronicle Herald  |   By Joey Fitzpatrick https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/more/custom-content/cancer-scare-makes-a-physicians-bmo-ride-for-cancer-journey-deeply-personal-100745902/ On…

BMO Ride for Cancer is 85 per cent sold out, announces world’s first cancer-fighting technology as 2022 fundraising focus

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A team celebrates at our 2021 BMO Ride for Cancer event. Photo credit: Uncharted Creative Media. (HALIFAX, N.S. – Tuesday, March 8, 2022) On March 3, public registration launched for the eighth annual BMO Ride for Cancer, formerly Ride…
Gavin Mill Photo

BMO Ride for Cancer gears up for another record-breaking year and impact for QEII cancer care

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Gavin Mills is a cancer patient at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and a participant of BMO Ride for Cancer. To date, more than $5.7 million net has been raised by the BMO Ride community, in support of local cancer care at the QEII. PHOTO CREDIT:…

2021

Dr. Howard Conter and Karen Conter

The Conter’s reason to Ride: Philanthropic couple delighted to be rallying funds for cancer-fighting technology

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Dr. Howard Conter and Karen Conter are thrilled to be participating in the 2021 Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal to bring new, cancer-fighting genetic sequencing technology to the QEII Health Sciences Centre.  A Halifax couple…
Kathy baking

A sweet ride: Rider fundraising by baking for Ride for Cancer

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So far, Kathy MacPherson has helped her team raise $3,000 for their 2021 Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal by selling homemade baked goods. Contributed. Kathy MacPherson is combining her talent for baking with her love of cycling…

Fearless Rider finds community and friendship while fighting for better cancer care

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A self-professed gym rat and fitness junkie, Catherine Campbell, of Halifax, NS, was initially discouraged when her gym shut down in the early pandemic. She was missing a major source of community and friendship, and had to find a new way to…

The gift of time: Sisters riding in thanks for more moments with mom

Melissa Young and Michelle Connors are sisters and Riders in this year’s Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal. The two share a lot in common – their love of the outdoors, passion for travel and dedication to family. Although sisters…

Local family shares their reason to ride

The Feenstras are an adventurous family. They spend weekends soaking up the sun – biking, hiking, and in the warmer months, camping off the grid – piling the essentials into a canoe and paddling to a remote island to sleep under the stars. “When…

Team Matt vs Team Mitch: Evolve Fitness owners look to ‘friendly’ competition to inspire others

Evolve Fitness Owners, Matt and Mitch Benvie, have been in a ‘friendly’ competition their entire lives - although Matt is quick to point out that he had the initial victory in life of being born 11 minutes earlier than Mitch. As identical…

2020

Hundreds of Riders, each with their own reason to Ride

Hundreds of Riders will take part in this year’s Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal event on October 3, each one with their own unique story and reason to Ride. Our Ride community is full of champions – some that lend their…

Melanie Clarke: Rider, mother, athlete and cancer survivor thankful for early detection

Melanie (Mel) Clarke has lived her life committed to health and wellness. A high-performance athlete from a young age, a university soccer player for Dalhousie, a world traveler, head coach and programmer at a CrossFit gym, Mel never expected…

Truro businessman matches donations to bring cutting-edge breast cancer care to the QEII

On behalf of anyone impacted by cancer, Truro businessman Stu Rath is matching all donations to Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal on September 10, to a total of $100,000. With support from generous donors like Stu behind us,…

Team Captain for the Evolve Fitness team has been facing the fight against breast cancer amid COVID-19 – now leading her team of over 150 Riders

Local gym, Evolve Fitness has joined the fight against cancer and entered a team in this year’s Ride taking place on October 3, 2020. Evolve has recruited the largest team in Ride for Cancer’s history with over 150 Riders registered to their…

Remembering dad and riding in his honour

Andrew Herygers is a Halifax-based designer, photographer, writer, artist and Rider in this year’s Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal. Hosted by the QEII Foundation, this signature event will take place on October 3. Andrew will…

Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol explains breast seed technology

Learn more about this year’s reason to Ride.  CTV Morning Live featured Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol, Head of Radiation Oncology at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and inventor of Permanent Breast Seed Brachytherapy. Dr. Pignol explains how this…

2019

One woman’s story. Eight hundred riders’ fight. A community’s mission.

It’s been a year since Kayte Turney’s world was turned upside down. In the spring of 2018, Kayte was approached by a member of the community, encouraging her to get involved with Ride for Cancer. Hosted in partnership by the QEII Foundation…

A journey worth celebrating: from 20 steps to 130 km

With more than 800 riders for the 2019 Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal, everyone has a reason to ride. Whether affected by cancer, facing a physical challenge or participating for the first time, these riders are gearing up for…

Life beyond cancer

Mike Parsons has experienced first-hand both the impact of cancer and the difference advanced research and state-of-the-art medical care can make in a patient’s care journey. Mike first heard about Ride for Cancer in 2016 through his…

2018

Join Hayley's Fight

Hayley Nickerson, a 12-year-old from Cole Harbour, is preparing to fight back against cancer by hitting the trail with her family for the newly implement 25km Youth Ride and she wants you by her side! Although Hayley’s passions — softball…

A Fighter and a Survivor

When Ride for Cancer became personal for this rider. Mike Parsons has experienced first-hand both the impact of cancer and the difference that advanced research and treatment can make in a patient's care journey. Mike first heard about Ride…

How one rider raised over $13,000 with a little creativity

Meet Jody Crane. Jody is a Halifax resident and passionate cyclist. Whether it’s an afternoon bike ride in the valley or cycling a week-long journey along the beautiful landscapes of France, Jody is always looking for his next adventure…
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