Willing to fight back
New Brunswick native Dave Mackenzie cycling across country in campaign against cancer
His mom Barbara died of cancer in 1976 leaving a gaping hole in his life.
His father-in-law Jeff lost his battle with the dreaded disease in 2005.
His father Nelson is a cancer survivor.
His wife Sherry is a cancer survivor.
One of his brothers-in-law with ties to Newfoundland won’t make it through the week because of cancer.
Make no wonder Dave Mackenzie is ticked off with cancer and willing to fight back.
Mackenzie is cycling across Canada to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society — through his Dave Pedals for Hope campaign — with a burning desire to help find a cure for the disease sooner rather than later. His wife Sherry is on board as the driver of the support vehicle.
“The whole thrust of this trip is our story is not that unique, and that’s the sad part,” Mackenzie told The Saltwire Network Friday afternoon. “It’s too many people with a similar story who know many people they’ve lost … so we want to raise as much money as we can for the Canadian Cancer Society. Maybe somebody can do something about it if we can get some dollars put together in this fight against cancer.”
Mackenzie, 57, was born in Saint John, N.B. He wanted to aid the fight because he had time on his hands after retiring from a 35-year career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and wanted to do his part to prevent other families from going through a tough ordeal.
The Mackenzies began the venture in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, which they now call home. They arrived in Nova Scotia Friday and hoped to catch the ferry across the Gulf to Port aux Basques to begin their journey across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mackenzie hoped to be in Corner Brook by Monday. He would be looking at 120 km a day to make it happen, but the only hurry he’s in is rallying people to join in the fight.
There’s a thought that he keeps in mind as he winds his way down the roads of Canada’s vast landscape, and he has a sense of hope that keeps his legs going with every push of the pedal.
“We want more cancer survivors. We want less cancer. We want no cancer.”