There may have been a shortage of snow, but there was an abundance of spirit as cancer fundraisers - Prairie Women on Snowmobiles - made an overnight stop on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at The Kenosee Inn for an event in their honour hosted by the Moose Mountain Snowmobile Club - as part of the group's 2018 tour throughout southeast Saskatchewan.
Since its 2001 inception, the non-profit organization tours part of the province annually to promote the early detection of breast cancer as well as raising funds for breast cancer research and the purchase of medical equipment for health facilities in Saskatchewan. To date, PWOS has raised over $2.4 million for research through the Canadian Cancer Society and since 2013, the group has raised more than $229,000 for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency.
Each dollar donated through their annual Missions stays in Saskatchewan, with equipment purchased for cancer centres in Regina and Saskatoon as well as equipment - including a mobile bus that has been donated to serve rural areas of the province.
Each year, 10 volunteer riders - often cancer survivors - sled through Saskatchewan for a six-day journey which covers about 1,400 kilometers. This year, the riders and their crew members started their 'Mission 2018' in Regina and concluded their trip in Estevan.
In this area, their itinerary included stops in Kipling, Kisbey, Redvers, Gainsborough, Carnduff, Oxbow, Arcola, Lampman, Midale, Torquay, Estevan and Kenosee Lake, where PWOS President Kelly Rea praised and thanked attendees for their support.
“We've received a great welcome,” she said. “And thanks to (groomer) Doug Ilchuk and the entire Moose Mountain Snowmobile Club, we were even able to snowmobile in this beautiful area today.”
“But whether there is snow or not, we still make the route. We make every single stop, whether we're on the sleds or riding in the van. We bring the sleds, so people still get to see them and whether we're in a community for coffee, or lunch or an evening, we meet people and get our message out there.”
At each stop, the PWOS riders, executive and crew are introduced and the organization's history and mission is explained to the audience. Members of the public have an opportunity to meet the riders and at every stop, a “pinning ceremony” is held.
“We invite any cancer survivors to receive a special pin that was specially designed for us,” says Rea who herself is a cancer survivor. “They get a hug, but if they're uncomfortable coming forward, we announce that they can approach any one of us to receive a pin privately.”
“No matter how they choose to do it, we want to acknowledge cancer survivors and congratulate them. It's a big thing to beat cancer,”
At the Kenosee Inn banquet - a longer event - each of the 10 riders talked about their poignant and personal experiences with cancer. Although Hazel Crosson Rosthern), Leanne Dagnall (Foam Lake), Sherry Derksen (Hague), Carla Hordos (Tisdale), Kim Hyshka (Rhein), Christina Johnson (Weekes), Michelle Martin (Saskatoon), Nadine Weibe-Trapp (Emma Lake) and Brenda Trapp (Saskatoon) touched those in attendance with their individual stories; rider Patti Trapp of Saskatoon received prolonged applause, as she - supported by fellow rider and cancer survivor Hazel Crosson - took the microphone.
“This is going to be really hard,” she said, as she revealed that she was at the Kenosee event only because her surgery for a brain tumour had been rescheduled.
As someone who has already experienced thyroid cancer and a spinal tumour, Trapp said that being diagnosed with a brain tumour was “scary as hell.”
“But my surgery was rescheduled for a pediatric surgery, so I'm good. And I will fight this.”
Instead of snowmobiling, Trapp rode out Mission 2018's route in the group's van or semi, with two-time veteran volunteer drivers, Kelly Phinney (Kindersley) and Wyatt Smith (Pelly), accompanied by newcomer Alex Riehl of Benito, Manitoba.
“She's an amazing lady - they all are,” said Phinney. “And we're all planning to drive again next year.”
When Trapp isn't on the road with the PWOS, she was replaced by a stand-in - a giant teddy bear - which was photographed with the women and local supporters who came out during their stop in Kisbey earlier in the day.
“We really need to give a huge thank you to the Moose Mountain Snowmobile Club, Troy Foster for setting all this up and Ed (Fahlman), Daryl (Safniuk) and the Kenosee Inn - what a meal! And our trail groomer, Doug Ilchuk (Kisbey),” said Rea. “Today, they made sure we got a chance to ride, even with the relative lack of snow. It's a beautiful part of the province and we're so glad we got to experience it on a ride. But more importantly, people here have been so welcoming and so supportive of our mission - which also includes safe snowmobiling.”
Both Fahlman and Safniuk say that hosting the Prairie Women on Snowmobiles was a “privilege.”
“And we're really proud of the Moose Mountain community for coming out to support these amazing women and such a worthy cause,” added Fahlman.
Pam Foster of Carlyle agrres. “It's awesome. I had tears in my eyes and I wasn't alone.I've had family members with cancer and so do so many other people from this area.”
But the thing I like a lot about what these women do is that the money they raise stays in Saskatchewan.”
Rea says; “I can't wait for the day when we are out there snowmobiling for fun - not for fundraising - because we've found a cure for cancer. But until then, Prairie Women on Snowmobiles will continue our mission.”
To learn more, visit www.prairiewomen.ca .
