When Amy Forward entered OneWalk to Conquer Cancer, her mother, Helen, was alive.
“I hoped she would be there at the finish line,” Forward said.
But she wasn’t. Diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in spring 2015, Helen passed away in April.
Forward, 38, walked anyways. She was one of hundreds who raised nearly $1 million for the Alberta Cancer Foundation Saturday, despite stormy weather.
Heather Davis, Susan Horn and Julie Franklin participate in the One Walk to Conquer Cancer in Calgary, Alta., on Saturday, June 25, 2016. Hundreds of walkers took part in the event as the event raised almost $1 million for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Lyle Aspinall/Postmedia Network
The walk was 25 kilometres, winding through the downtown. Saturday was the first ever OneWalk, with the funds raised by participants going to research, clinical trials and enhanced care at 17 cancer care facilities across the Alberta, including Calgary’s Tom Baker Cancer Centre.
Participants in the One Walk to Conquer Cancer walk over an East Village bridge in Calgary, Alta., on Saturday, June 25, 2016. Hundreds of walkers took part in the event as the event raised almost $1 million for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Lyle Aspinall/Postmedia Network
Participants raised money either alone or in teams, and were able to choose which kind of cancer their funds would benefit.
Meanwhile, hundreds of volunteers lined the route to provide meals, water and encouragement to those making the journey.
Forward said the walk was an emotional experience. Her husband and two-year-old son waited for her at the finish line instead, and she said she broke down into tears when she saw them.
Watching her mother’s struggle with cancer was incredibly hard, Forward said, and doing something for the cause felt like the right thing to do despite her grief.
“If my mother was here,” she said, trailing off. “I wish she was here.
“If I can prevent families, even if it’s just one family, from going down the road we came down, I’ve done my job.”
