‘Courage and love’
Couple returns on bike trip from Ontario in support of Team Reese
As Andrea Haughan approached the homestretch of her 2,100-km cycling trek, her heart swelled at seeing the colour red.
Waiting for her and her husband, Lloyd McLean, on Sunday were supporters dressed in red, cheering them on and waving posters all in support of their journey from Ontario to Pictou County that was dedicated to her goddaughter, Reese Hawkins.
“It was overwhelming when we were over there on the trail and all we could see was red,” she said.
Supporters were asked to wear red in honour of the Ride for Reese that is currently raising money and awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So far this year, the Walk with Reese and now the Ride with Reese, as well as other fundraising events, have raised a little over $17,000.
The goal is to raise $25,000 this year which would put Team Reese’s overall total at $100,000.
The Ride for Reese was in honour of Hawkins’ cure from leukemia, which she was first diagnosed with in 2011 at 10 months old. Hawkins’ treatment ended in 2012 after extensive chemo and a stem cell transplant and, after five years of good reports, Hawkins was declared cured on April 13, 2017.
On Sunday, she proudly rode the last kilometre of Haughan and McLean’s journey into town with them on her new pink bike.
“She just got a new bike with handbrakes and bigger tires and she has been taking it out to practice,” said Hawkins’ mother, Kora Hanrahan. “She just got off her training wheels so this is a big day for her to come down. We are all pretty excited.”
Hanrahan said the support of Haughan and McLean as well as the entire community has been incredible.
“They knew Reese had a really hard struggle with her treatment and recovery. They wanted to show they were going to do it no matter how hard it was. Reese didn’t have days off so they weren’t taking days off,” she said. “They wanted it done in 13 days because that has been very symbolic with Reese’s recovery. We are extremely proud of them and very happy to know them and have them in our lives.”
Haughan said the entire experience has made her stronger.
“I am glad I did it,” Haughan said after hugging her supporters and thanking people for coming out. “This is a huge celebration year for sure. It was an honour for me to do this for Team Reese, and Ride for Reese was an idea, but it came bigger than what we ever anticipated. So it is about endurance, strength and determination, courage and love and every adjective you ever think about. I am very, very pleased and happy about the outcome and I am just so excited to see everyone.”
This was Haughan’s first major trek across the country whereas her husband has gone from coast to coast on his bicycle in the past.
She admits she had to push herself at times but the rewards in the end were worth it.
“The ride itself was harder than I envisioned, but I knew that I had to do it. I had made a commitment and I knew that I was physically strong and ready mentally but now I know I have overcome more than that,” she said as she fought back emotions to finish her words. “My inner strength, my mental strength has improved,” she said.
McLean echoed his wife’s comments, saying their goal was to cycle a challenging course within 13 days and adverse weather conditions certainly presented some obstacles.
“We had everything but a hurricane and snow,” he said. “It wasn’t easy. We didn’t want it to be easy and that is how I designed it to be, because it wasn’t easy for Reese or anyone else going through such treatments.”
Team Reese has some fundraisers planned for the future, including a yard sale and barbecue and a draw for West Jet tickets in hopes of reaching that $25,000 goal.
“We are hoping that will get us over the $20,000 mark. Our goal is $25,000 but anything other $20,000 we will be happy,” said Hanrahan. “Since we have done it, we have raised $75,000 so $100,000 was the romantic number. If we get to $95,000, next year we will be getting the 5,000.”