Tobin takes to bicycle for the kids

Peggy Tobin is in very good company.
She will take part in the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride from Sept. 9 to 23 – one of only two riders from B.C. and the only rider from Prince George.
“We’ll cycle over 7,000 km from the shores of Vancouver to the coast of Halifax,” a fit and tanned Tobin told the Free Press Tuesday.
“The ride is in support of children whose lives have been affected by cancer,” she said.
“As a participant I am helping to raise funds and awareness for local and national programs, including research, education and survivorship initiatives.”
The funds support childhood cancer programs in pediatric oncology units and hospitals across Canada.
“For this amazing journey I set a fundraising goal of $25,000,” said Tobin. Having already raised $12,000 with the generous help of friends, family, students and teachers (Tobin is a school custodian for School District 57), she’s now looking to the community to help her add to her total.
A Kids Cancer Ride fund raiser with tapis, live and silent auction takes place Aug. 25 at Hummus Brothers Restaurant starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30.
Josh Nelson, survivor and 2010 national rider – Tobin is looking forward to riding with him – is just one reason why such fundraisers are important:
“Fifty years ago, less than 10 per cent of childhood patients could be cured. Thanks to research, today more than 75 per cent of children diagnosed with cancer become long term survivors.”
Tobin is a veteran fundraiser.
“Last Christmas I sold 600 poinsettias to help kids with cancer and last spring I sold hanging baskets, bedding plants, herbs, tomatoes, geraniums. I took orders and the plants were dropped off at Ruckus (Ski Board and Bikes Ltd.) – they’ve helped out tremendously. The plants were left outside so passing motorists saw them and came in. The first order was $7,500, then I raised $1,500 the next week.”
Tobin also arranged to be at Coldsnap venues with silent auctions and had a fundraising pub night at the Riverstone Bar and Grill. Her pace is exhausting.
When the Free Press caught up with Tobin Tuesday night she was just off work and “tapering off” her training for the ride.
“The smoke (caused by fires) in the air last weekend made training more difficult but I still managed to ride from 8 a.m. to about 8:30 p.m. each day,” she said.
“Right now we’re (riders) tapering off and are doing about 140 km. a day. This is my first year with Kids Cancer Ride but I’ve done the Tour de Jasper.”
She got her first bike at age 13.
“We moved here from Newfoundland when I was 12 and I worked all summer baby sitting to pay for my first bike. We lived in the country, a family of 11 kids, and we all had paper routes so we rode bikes.”
Now the mother of five wants to help kids with cancer, a disease that has struck her own family, on her mother’s side, several times.
“My mother lost four brothers and one sister to cancer. Two other sisters had cancer, but survived. A close friend of mine has also been a personal inspiration to me. She just finished chemo and now she’s off to Winnipeg for radiation because her family is there. I just saw her off at her home in Ness Lake.”
Nothing keeps Tobin going though as much as the kids with cancer do.
“The aches, pains and sore muscles (from biking) go away. But your memories of the children, the ones you meet along the way on the oncology wards, they stay with you forever.”
Tobin doesn’t just give of her time, energy and zest for fundraising, she gives from her own wallet.
“I have my own bikes (she registers her car for fundraisers but cycles to work, even in winter) but I still had to come up with $4,000 of my own money to do this ride – but it’s worth every penny. This is for kids and that’s a worthy cause and besides, cycling is something that I can do.”
The riders will be blogging nightly enroute, so friends and supporters can go to searsnationalkidscancerride.com and click on the rider’s name to check out their progress.