Twenty years after his little girl's illness and recovery, a Nova Scotia man is hopping on a bicycle to help other families who are affected by cancer.
Mark Fraser’s daughter Olivia was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four.
“I remember quite a bit of it,” says Olivia Fraser, cancer survivor. “I knew they were worried. I mean even kids can pick up on stress and stuff, but to me the hospital was fun. I got to go see my friends and favourite nurses.”
The cancer manifested in Olivia’s hip and she suffered from high fevers and several bouts of pneumonia.
“It was a punch in the guts basically and we were pretty scared for a while,” says Mark Fraser.
Olivia eventually won her battle and has been cancer free since childhood.
“Every day, every day we just count our blessings basically,” says Mark Fraser.
Olivia is now 24, with a career as a hair-stylist. Her dad describes her as the healthiest in the family.
“It's very jarring, as a six-year-old, to think ‘whoa, I almost died,’” says Olivia Fraser. “So now it's like I'm not really willing to waste my time. Now I just want to live the best life that I can live.”
“I think the rest of us maybe could take a cue from her basically on how to keep ourselves healthy,” says Mark Fraser.
Mark is training and fundraising for the Ride For Cancer on October 1, a 100-kilometre journey from Nova Scotia’s Mahone Bay to Halifax.
Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase equipment for the cancer ward at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and to fund blood cancer research and patient education through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
“It's fun basically and you can just get out and enjoy nature and get off on your own and have a good time on the bike,” says Mark Fraser.
Olivia says she's proud of her father and she encourages others to ride for cancer to help patients.
“There's so many little things that can make the time more positive for them and if you have any way to contribute, why wouldn't you?” says Olivia Fraser.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jayson Baxter
