Our lives changed this year in March when world leaders informed us we were facingÌýa global pandemic. Many people stopped working, international flights were cancelled, schools were shut and leaving your house was considered a potential health risk. In short, ‘physical events’ as we knew it stopped, including vital research.
You know what didn’t stop? Cancer. That disease continued to devastate the lives of millions of people because cancer doesn’t stop during a pandemic. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t conveniently pick and choose when to pose a threat, it just does. That’s how dangerous it is.
Today, more than 1 million Canadians are living with cancer.Ìý
But the pandemic isn’t going to beat us. Our researchers at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre (GCRC) have already started to ramp up their work again, following the green light we received from the government. They’ve rolled up their sleeves, put on their masks, and got straight back to their labs. They’re quietly working behind the scenes carrying out experiments on cancer research. They’re back at work and getting on with their activity of understanding how cancer works to better orient current treatments as well as identify new therapies. These are our essential workers. They’re the ones stepping up and not letting a pandemic phase them. To us, they’re heroes. Our heroes.Ìý
You know what else they’re doing in the middle of their research? Organizing a virtual fun run to take place on the 11th July, to further support cancer research.
Normally, every year, our young researchers help organize and actively participate in the Défi Canderel, which is a 2K run to support two local cancer research centres, one of which is the GCRC. It’s one day in the year where people from the whole Montreal community come together to show solidarity for cancer research. It’s an event they eagerly look forward to. Of course due to COVID-19, the event was cancelled this year, but they want to organize a virtual fun run instead! They're asking people to do their own solo 2K run, walk, or cycle in their local neighborhood and (if possible) wear their old Défi tshirts while doing so!
If you’d like to support these young researchers, please click on the following link and send your donation to one of the team members:Ìý
Together, we can stop cancer in its tracks.