It wasn’t the greatest weekend to bike more than 200 kilometers, but it was nowhere near  the worst thing they’ve been through.

“Being a cancer patient and going through chemotherapy and the surgeries was very hard,” said survivor Tobi McIvor, 39, who was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a rare kidney cancer, at age 11.

“But even when I’m having a hard time riding, it’s cold and wet, my legs hurt, I just keep telling myself I’ve been through worse.”

The mother of three was told she would never be able to have children after radiation.

McIvor and Jarrid Rich, 28, were two participants in the annual Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer this past weekend, both having taken part previously.

Rich, a single father of two, was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma cancer in his lungs in 2010 and had surgery to remove several tumors. The cancer quickly returned but after participating in a clinical trial last December, his cancer has stopped progressing.

Besides participating for personal reasons, McIvor and Rich wanted to give back and help those going through what they’ve already experienced.
The show of support through the ride is not lost on them either.

“I think it’s amazing that people from all different walks of life can come together under one cause, one purpose … it’s a very empowering event,” said Rich.

Backgrounder

• More than 1,800 people participated in this year’s Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, raising more than $8 million for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
• According to statistics, if the current trend continues, nearly one in two Albertans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and one in four will die from it.
• It’s estimated that 171,000 new cases and 75,300 deaths will occur from cancer in Canada in 2012.