miles for myles

This May, the Gerrard family is joining team Miles for Myles for our fourth year of the Workout to Conquer Cancer! Our beloved cousin Myles passed away on June 1, 2022, at the age of 15, just 15 months after he was diagnosed with Diffuse Infiltrating Gastric cancer. We loved him so very much, and so to honor him, and support all the other BC Cancer patients and their families, we will be getting active every day and also taking on some special projects:

• Kyle's goal this year is to swim 50km from Vancouver to the family cabin on Gabriola Island, one of Myles' favorite spots! Don't worry, that will be cumulatively over the month (probably mostly in the pool), with no Coast Guard searches needed :P
• Emma K will be running all over the shop and has committed to 69 km of running in addition to her triathlon and dance training!
• Ian and Melissa will each be walking, running, and hiking 600,000 steps over the course of the month, one step for every dollar raised so far by the end of this year's campaign! We all hope it doesn't turn into wheezing, crawling, and butt-scooching toward the end. Prayers welcome. They will also be taking our team overseas with a significant number of steps covered in beautiful Italy!
• In this spirit, Sarah is committed to 179,219 seconds of exercise during the month, one second for every dollar we will raise this year! She will anchor the NYC crew, an important part of our team's international presence ;)
• David is our oceanic expert and will be swimming or surfing every day! He is an esteemed member of the Rockaway and Breezy Point Volunteer Beach Patrol, and can often be seen issuing citations to boats that have washed ashore but can't park there.
• Diane will be walking twice a day, every day: northern Dunbar loop in the morning, southern river loop in the evening :) I'm sure she'd love company, if only we could keep up!
• Mark will be cruising the neighborhood via power walking for at least 60 minutes or 5,000 steps a day. Talk about a man on a mission!
• Ryan has told us he plans to stand atop the nearest hill and play the bagpipes (a very aerobic task) for 30 minutes each morning. Not really, but that would have been cool. Even better he has decided to do 69 continuous reps with a 60 lbs. kettle bell (they do not come in 69 lbs. varieties sadly) of whichever exercise we choose for him each day. If you have any ideas (we're talkin hip thrusts babyy) please drop him a line. Myles would be stoked!
• Emma G will be going strong with 30 minutes of 'get up and move' every day. Whether forest running, soccer training under coach Ryan's supervision, or yoga! Emma has also been volun-told that she will be the team's expert physio to keep us all in top form! Bless her.

In keeping with the Myles we all know and love our family is excited to get goofy and have as much fun as possible this month with all our schemes!!

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Team Miles for Myles is raising funds this year for one of the BC Cancer Foundation's key priorities, pediatric cancer research led by Dr. Poul Sorensen and his colleagues at BC Cancer.

Dr. Sorensen's lab is currently focused on two urgent priorities within childhood cancer research:

1. Targeting high-risk pediatric cancers with new immunotherapy approaches.
2. Understanding and targeting stress adaptive pathways in high-risk pediatric cancers and how these pathways lead to aggressive metastatic disease.

What is very exciting about both these research streams is that they could lead to available treatment for pediatric cancer patients in as little as one to one and a half years! This is significant because, up until now, children have had very little access to immunotherapy and have had no treatment for aggressive metastatic disease.

The goal for Miles for Myles this year is to raise $179,219! This will bring the four-year total to $600,000. Team Miles for Myles has had fantastic support over the past three years, which has allowed Myles's family and friends to accomplish so much, but kids facing cancer need more. Myles would expect us not to give up.

Our team joins others across the province and beyond to move, no matter where we are, every day of the month. Cancer impacts one in two British Columbians. This challenge is more than exercise; it's about joining a community that knows we can make a difference through fundraising.

So, as we prepare to move through May, please show your support by donating to our team today.

If you wish to form a team, we welcome you. Or please join us at one or both of these special events this May:

1. 3rd Annual Buckets for Myles Basketball Tourney at Rockridge Secondary, Saturday, May 4th.Everyone is welcome to come and cheer the players on. 11:30- 2pm, 5350 Headland Dr, West Vancouver, BC V7W 3H2.

2. F45 Training Ambleside Beach District Fundraiser for Miles for Myles, Saturday, May 10th, 8:30am-noon. 1439 Clyde Ave, West Vancouver, BC V7T 1E9. More details on how to register coming soon.

Thank you in advance for your donations and support. Lots of love, the Gerrards