CN Cycle for CHEO
Griffin Bell
June 26, 2017 – March 18, 2024
With a heavy heart, I need to report that since photographing this superhero late last week, he has closed his eyes one last time. “This little hero is now fighting in the sky,” his mother Tamy Bell said in a text message Monday after her son, sixyear-old Griffin Bell, passed away that morning. “I want to talk about him forever,” Bell said, as she gave her approval to go ahead with this feature.
“He amazes me every day. His strength and determination are amazing,” Bell said last week. “Sadly, for children with relapsed neuroblastoma, which we have been dealing with for three solid years now, there is no protocol. It is very much a trial-and-error process. We have been trying, but it hasn’t been working. Unfortunately, the devastating reality is that there is no known fix for this, which is why events like the CN Cycle are so incredibly important to us. Pediatric cancer needs more funding for research.”
For the Bell family, CN Cycle for CHEO is all about people coming together to support families like theirs. What Bell describes as the best day of the year, the 17th annual event is slated to take place Sunday, May 5, to raise money for CHEO’S clinicians and researchers to make progress in delivering life-saving cancer care.
CN Cycle for CHEO has something for everyone to take part in, from 70k, 35k, or 15k cycling options to 5k and 2k walks. The special day is going to be the Bell family’s biggest year yet, in honour of Griff. The family partners with local businesses to sponsor Griff’s Super Family Fun Zone, and last year their team raised over $108,000.
This year there are already 70 members on their team and fundraising is off to a good start. “The kindness and generosity of this community is amazing,” Bell said.
Griffin, a courageous warrior battling cancer, stood as a beacon of strength for many. The little entertainer I introduced Social Scene readers to in 2021 started his cancer battle two years earlier, and was a regular in the halls of CHEO. He underwent endless sessions of chemotherapy, radiation, medical trials and adventures to other children’s hospitals for more treatments. Between all the medical treatments and his time in hospitals, Griff never stopped being a positive ray of light with his mischievous little smile.
“The pediatric oncology world is a cruel, unfair one,” said Bell. “If we can play a small part in changing its future, then that is our reason to keep on going, to participate in an event like this.”
For more information and to register for CN Cycle for CHEO, head to www.cncycle.ca, or search for the Griff’s Gang fundraising page at cheofoundation.donordrive.com to show support for this important cause. With camaraderie of community and hope for tomorrow, the Bell family is wishful for a brighter, cancer-free future for all.