WEYBURN - Weyburn cyclist Mary Shirkie is riding throughout the month of August, raising funds to fight kids cancer, with the Great Cycle Challenge.
This is her seventh year taking part in the challenge, and she has set a goal to ride 350 km and raise $10,000 towards research of children’s cancer.
As of Friday, she had raised $8,948 towards her goal and had ridden 147.6 km, and was ranked third in the province for fundraising and 27th nationally.
“Both my parents died from different kinds of cancer, and it was very difficult to see them like that. I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if it was my child,” said Mary, explaining why she is riding to raise these funds.
“I just think kids should be living life, like over at the pool, having fun instead of fighting for their lives in hospital wards and being poked by needles,” she added.
Her fundraising received a big boost with matching donations on Thursday, with a donation from “Kicking Cancer’s Butt Day” of $3,090.96 added to her total for August.
The funds will go to the Sick Kids Foundation, based at the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, and they disburse the monies raised to cancer research, and to help support families of children fighting cancer.
Mary has seven grandchildren, ranging in age from four and a half months up to 10 years old, and notes they are healthy and well, as are her children.
“It’s kind of the luck of the draw, as cancer can strike you at any time,” she said. “Sometimes kids are born with it.”
She noted with the amount of money needed for cancer research, the amount she raises may not be a lot, but “together, we can make a difference.”
She said hot, dry days for riding don’t really bother her, but windy days do. Recently the wind was so bad, she had her husband drop her off at Ralph, and she rode back into the city along Highway 39 with the wind at her back.
For the most part, however, she much prefers riding on Weyburn’s bike paths as they are easier to deal with than being passed by semis on the highway.
Mary had originally been encouraged by Beth Goeres to take the cycling challenge, so she gave it a try, thinking it would be nice to raise $500 to support cancer research. She ended up raising $5,000 that year, and in her seven years she has now raised over $60,000 and counting, as she will continue riding until Aug. 31.
To check on Mary’s progress through the month, or to make a donation to her ride, please go to her web page at https://greatcyclechallenge.ca/Riders/MaryShirkie and click on the button for donations.
