The Ride

So I threw out the first pitch at the Blue Jays game on Monday and it was … not horrible. It bounced, but only a little, and Danny Barnes, the Jays relief pitcher who served as catcher, was really nice and completely adorable, and it was actually a lot of fun. There was a sweet tribute to Edwin Encarnacion, and the Jays won, so a good time was had by most. I’ve already posted a jillion pictures all over social media, but just in case you missed the big moment:

Pitch8

Now that we’ve established that I am a superb natural athlete, let me tell you about my next physical endeavor. My family is deeply involved in The Ride to Conquer Cancer. I’m a survivor, as you know (12 years now, and counting.) My brother-in-law Bob Hicks, sadly, was not. He died of lymphoma in 2012. His wife Helen Mallovy Hicks, my husband’s sister, did the Ride that same year. The next year, being the superwoman that she is, Helen corralled her two daughters, the rest of the family and a bunch of friends into forming a team called Hicksfire. The team grew, Helen picked up corporate support, joined the board of the Canadian Partnership against Cancer, became the Vice Chair of the Ride last year, and oh, by the way, has raised over a million dollars for The Princess Margaret Hospital. Well, we all did, but Helen is the driving force behind it all. There may be something Helen can’t do if she sets her mind to it, but I haven’t figured out what that might be.

This is Hicksfire’s 6^th year participating in The Ride. I’ve done it three times – well, twice. The first year I raised the money, but got sick. It’s a two-day 200 km ride between Niagara and Toronto, with about 4000 to 5000 riders. There are about 40 riders on our team this year, of all ages and ability. Aidan and Ronan are joining us for the second time, along with Aidan’s lovely girlfriend Jamie. I want to give Jamie a special mention here, because she took a bad fall on my bike earlier this season, but that didn’t stop her from joining the team, buying her own bike, and committing to the ride. There may be something Jamie can’t do if SHE sets her mind to it, but again, don’t know what that is.

I’m riding this year for my friend Andre “Katfish” Maisonneuve, who died last October. I am also riding for my beloved brother Andrew, who is waging a second battle with throat cancer. I’m riding for everyone who is touched by this disease, one way or another, and frankly, that’s everybody. I don’t know if we will actually conquer cancer on this ride, but we will certainly kick its ass while wearing ours down. I have actually almost reached my fundraising goal of $5000, so I’m not hitting you up for donations, but if you really do have some extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket, Aidan and Ronan can use the support. You can find them here and here. Oh, and Jamie’s here. The Ride emails you a tax receipt pronto. Thank you for even thinking about it.

OK. Gotta go and ride while the sun is shining. Cancer isn’t going to conquer itself.

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