Our lives changed this year in March when world leaders informed us we were facing听a 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, 鈥榩hysical events鈥� as we knew it stopped, including vital research.
You know what didn鈥檛 stop? Cancer. That disease continued to devastate the lives of millions of people because cancer doesn鈥檛 stop during a pandemic. Cancer doesn鈥檛 discriminate. It doesn鈥檛 conveniently pick and choose when to pose a threat, it just does. That鈥檚 how dangerous it is.
Today, more than 1 million Canadians are living with cancer.听
But the pandemic isn鈥檛 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鈥檝e rolled up their sleeves, put on their masks, and got straight back to their labs. They鈥檙e quietly working behind the scenes carrying out experiments on cancer research. They鈥檙e 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鈥檙e the ones stepping up and not letting a pandemic phase them. To us, they鈥檙e heroes. Our heroes.听
You know what else they鈥檙e 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 D茅fi Canderel, which is a 2K run to support two local cancer research centres, one of which is the GCRC. It鈥檚 one day in the year where people from the whole Montreal community come together to show solidarity for cancer research. It鈥檚 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 D茅fi tshirts while doing so!
If you鈥檇 like to support these young researchers, please click on the following link and send your donation to one of the team members:听
Together, we can stop cancer in its tracks.