A two-time cancer survivor was among those cycling to raise funds and awareness for the Alberta Cancer Foundation at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute on Tuesday.
Over three decades, Kelly Liebe’s family has received multiple cancer diagnoses. She was first diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 1997 and participated in a clinical trial which her daughter, Chrissy, would benefit from when she was diagnosed in 2010.
Although the refined treatment helped Chrissy, she died two years later, leaving two kids to be raised by Liebe and her husband.
Liebe’s doctors found more cancer in 2017 at a routine exam, months before her husband would be diagnosed at Christmas.
Then, in 2022, her father died from cancer.
“I have cried in these halls, I have laughed in these halls, I’ve sat with people in these halls,” she told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday, World Cancer Day.
“People think that you come in and there’s sadness. There is. But there’s so much hope and we pass it from one person to another.”
That is part of the reason Liebe and her husband participate in the annual Spin of Hope fundraiser.
“We’ve seen the changes. We’ve seen where your money goes,” Liebe said.
“I really want people to know that this place … is a place of hope. That’s why I’m standing here today. That’s why I’m able to ride a bike. Because I have that hope within me.”
Her husband added, “There’s a saying there’s no do-overs or repeats. Well every year there’s another ride. That’s my do-over, my repeat. And it gets me through the whole year. It means everything.”
Stationary bikes were also set up at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary, too, and the cities compete to raise the most funds.
Since 2008, more than $100 million has been raised in Alberta, largely through Alberta Cancer Foundation’s largest event, the summer Enbridge Tour Alberta for Cancer, which consists of about 1,500 to 2,000 cyclists. The foundation also raises awareness and collects registrations for the event on World Cancer Day.
“All of that money goes to fund innovation, cancer research, detection, treatment and care right here in Alberta at the 17 cancer centres across the province,” she said.
According to the organization, one in two Albertans will be diagnosed with cancer – or about 60 every day.
“As we continue to improve our screening techniques, that number does go up. But of course, when we look at survivorship, that’s really where the importance is and where the progress is being made,” Kraus said, pointing to the two of the most prominent types of cancer, breast and prostate cancer, which now have a 90-per cent survival rate.
“Chrissy and my dad would want us to ride on and to be there for them and to be there for others,” Liebe said. “That’s what our family does. We want to be here to support other people that have to go through this journey.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Darcy Seaton
Correction
An earlier version of this story stated World Cancer Day is Alberta Cancer Foundation's largest event. In fact, the foundation's largest event is the Enbridge Tour Alberta for Cancer.
