Tales from the Trail

A letter from a Barb, sent to her team, just before Chad's 35th and last 60km walk in 2009

Hi Trail Sisters and Friends!

Who do you hear from more often? I was going to wait and send this email out after the walk, but I thought there might be some discussion about this on the big weekend so thought I should share this with you before then.

Since some of you have been involved with the WEBC for a while and others not at all, it is difficult to know where to start so I’ll give a brief history and those of you that already know all of this can skip the first paragraph!

Chad Cieslik is an amazing walker who is totally dedicated to raising money for breast cancer research. He has walked in every single WEBC walk since it started, in all of the walks across Canada. He has also cycled in four of the Rides to Conquer Cancer. It seems that nothing is too great a challenge for him. Last year, when the Vancouver and Toronto walks were held on the same weekend, he did them both. For those of you that are wondering how that is possible, get one of us to explain it to you. It was amazing!

His biggest challenge right now is that he himself, is fighting cancer. He was diagnosed with lung cancer last winter. It was a shock and is very sad, but it has not stopped him. He has continued to walk and ride this summer and will be doing walk #35 with us next weekend. Walking 60k or riding 200k is a huge challenge for any of us, but to do it while fighting lung cancer seems unimaginable to me!

Chad feels that, because of the treatments he will be undergoing, he will not be able to do the walks next summer. You can imagine how hard this is for him. However, he has devised a way, as he always does, to continue to help the cause. He will be setting up teams of 35 walkers to walk in each city in 2010. In that way he will continue to help to raise money to fight this disease. As he says, he will “make it sorry that it ever messed with our families and friends”.

Chad has a wonderful friend named Louise Eisfeld. She and her husband Paul have been a huge support to Chad. Louise has accompanied him on all of the walks to make sure that he is okay. She is also the one who organized the great party we had to celebrate his 60th birthday. Now she has a new mission. She is trying to help him set up the teams to walk for him next year. This week I received an email from her asking if I would walk on the Toronto team and perhaps on one other. I told her that I would do whatever I can to help him and if this is what will help, of course I’ll be there for him. She said that she knew we have a great team (don’t know where she heard that!). She said that if any of our team or the walkers who walk regularly with us would like to join his team, Butterfly of Hope, for next year, you would be very welcome. I would love that! The WEBC is responsible for setting up the Survivorship Program at PMH. I think this is Chad’s survivorship program.

I intend to continue to lead walks next year in Mississauga and hope you will join me, whether or not you are doing the big walk. If you want to continue walking as the Trail Sisters ... I will totally understand, and someone can take over as team leader. Louise and I agree that we will each continue to do our own fundraising, although it might be fun to do one big fundraiser together. We’ll see how it goes.

I will very likely do a second walk next year, possibly Calgary in July. If you want to join us there, let me know. I don’t expect anyone to make any big decisions right now, but I wanted to let you know what I’m thinking, since I’ll likely be talking to Chad and Louise about it next weekend and I don’t want any of this to be a surprise to my friends.

Please know that I’m not bailing on the Trail Sisters. I love our team and everyone who walks with us. I just want to do what I can do for someone who has given so much and has been such an inspiration to so many walkers. I also want to continue to walk and train with as many of you as possible to get ready for the walks in 2010.

I hope to see most of you at dinner on our Day Zero and some of you on our last two little training walks. I am so pumped about next weekend. Walk number eight for me is just as exciting as walk number one was. We have our shirts, we have reached our fundraising goal and we are trained. Bring on the Weekend to End Breast Cancer!

Most fondly,
Barb

Return to Tales from the Trail