INSPIRING OTHERS

Wanted to share a beautiful email about a courageuos man who is the father in law of one of the Tour de Cure Riders...........he inspiring others

Jeff Pearse (founder of Mailcall) is in hospital at the moment undertaking his own cancer battle, so the Tour de Cure is a cause very close to our heart.

This is the third time in 20 years that Dad has fought cancer, and unfortunately this time the prognosis is more than ever an uphill battle as it's developed into a very rare type of Lymphoma which is only the second case in Australia to date. He's been enduring chemo and radiotherapy for 5 months and is in North Shore hospital now for a prolonged stay for the last hiroshima chemo treatment (fondly nicknamed) and a bone marrow transplant which started yesterday. Being the hardened battler that he is, he's up at the Hospital giving everyone else pep talks, many of whom are in a much better state than him.

Yesterday I dropped off a pile of printed material from the Tour De Cure website for him to read, including all the stories, articles and support messages you've received. I showed him the maps of the climbs each day on your way to Sydney and told him that he's not alone in the battles, and to look at the climbs people are doing for him and others when he is having a bad day. Being an ex marathon runner he's been giving Garren lots of advice on pushing through the pain, and has offered a number of times now to change places! Each day he asks me how far Garren and the team have cycled and I think it makes him feel a bit better knowing that there are people out there trying to make a difference.

So I hope that everyone knows how important and valued their efforts and dedication are to finding a cure for cancer. This cause means a lot to the individuals fighting these battles as well as the family members who struggle with the realisation that they are in face quite helpless. Being able to support a cause like the Tour De Cure is our way of helping to fight the fight.

Best of Luck on the ride and our thoughts and prayers are with all the riders for a safe trip to Sydney

Emma

PS..... Dad proudly told me that he did 7 laps of the ward yesterday, not quite Everest but gives you an idea of the challenges he puts before himself each day. It's a battle of the mind for these guys and every milestone or day is approached as a unique challenge, with every victory celebrated. You should all be doing the same on the tour, chipping away one day at a time and pushing through the pain.