Nearly one year after a scary lymphoma diagnosis, 100 Mile House resident Shawn Meville is taking The Challenge, a two-day, 300-plus-kilometre cycling ride from Vancouver to Seattle, raising money for cancer research.
The longtime teacher at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School is participating in the BC Ride to Conquer Cancer, benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation, Aug. 29-30.
Meville was diagnosed with a very rare, yet luckily very treatable, type of lymphoma in September 2014. Oncologists give him an 80 to 90 per cent successful recovery chance following precision radiation treatment he received to remove a tumour on his shoulder in March.
The relatively straightforward treatment process and the positive prognosis speak to the significant advances made in cancer research – a cause made famous by icons like Terry Fox, a personal hero of Meville's – and the importance of further supporting the cause, Meville believes.
“Through research we've learned this type of lymphoma that I have is connected to a bacteria [and can be treated with antibiotics if it returns],” Meville explains.
“What I found really powerful was that they figured that out. Ten, 15, 20-years ago, they might have cut you open and tried to remove it. Now, they know.”
Meville, 47, is an avid cyclist. But while he's participated in a couple of long charity rides before, none have been this long. In preparation, he's cycling as much as possible while balancing a busy family life and the winding down of the school year.
“You got to train, you got to put some time in on the bike. There's no doubt in my mind I can get the miles down and be in shape to go.”
Or, as he puts it on his personal Support My Ride to Conquer Cancer page: “And this is how this is going to go down...sleep, eat, train, raise money, repeat. Bring it.”
Meville has already surpassed his original goal of $2,500. He's raised more than $3,000, and he's looking for more contributions throughout the summer.
His goal now: raising more money for the cause.
Meville talks about an 18-month stretch a few years back in which 10 friends and family members of his received cancer diagnoses. That number includes a couple of former students, young people. He says that time in his life really “hollowed” him out. He says his cancer was merely a “schoolyard scrap” compared to what other people sometimes have to fight.
“Through this whole thing, I was more worried about my family – my kids and my wife and my mom and dad, and what they had to go through with this.”
“A lot of people have it way worse than I have it,” he adds. “I'm not a big fan of getting my name in the paper or anything like that, but this isn't about me. This is about raising money.”
Visit www. conquercancer.ca to donate.
