Len Pace, 45Oakville, ON
Occupation: Investment Real Estate Executive
Family: Married to the love of my life Frances, with three kids Maddie (16 years), Ben (12 years), and Alex (would have been 14 this year)
Completed ½ Marathon in 2001, could once dunk a basketball.
Alex, our Superman, has inspired us to help kids afflicted with cancer
I have always been athletic and grew up in a competitive athletic family. My sister Kate skied for Canada in World Cups, World Championships, and Olympics. My brother Matt won a national championship playing football and has now qualified for the Boston Marathon. I was never focused enough or interested enough in any one sport to be as good as they were/are. But I was pretty good at most everything I tried because I thought my way through it and I tried to work hard when I was on the field or court.
I’ve always preferred team sports over individual sports. I love the camaraderie, the way people can pull together for each other, and the shared accomplishments. I like shootin’ the s*%t with teammates too.
I’ve not been a cyclist for long; really only 4 years of road cycling. And I am not what one would call a serious cyclist. I enjoy being out on the road in group rides, especially for a cause. When I was younger, though, I was a star on my purple CCM Mustang with banana seat and tall handlebars jumping ditches and puddles. And I later rode about 330 km in 2 ½ days on a CCM Targa with a group including two sisters over a weekend.
How do I find myself on the National Ride?
I find myself here in the midst of journey no parent ever wishes to take. My son Alex, Frances’ and my middle child along with Maddie and Ben, was diagnosed in early 2007 at age 10 with osteosarcoma, Terry Fox’s cancer.
Alex had a large tumour on his leg, and multiple metastases throughout his body. He underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatment in 2007 and entered 2008 with a titanium rod replacing his femur, a new right hip and ankle, one less rib, and scars where his lungs had been pulled out of his chest, tumours removed, and his lungs put back again. His dreams of playing hockey were gone and he worked towards building his body back up and creating new dreams for himself.
For 8 months in 2008, those dreams bubbled and brewed, and we found our old Alex coming back to us. But in November 2008, we discovered that he had developed AML, a form of leukemia which was the result of the chemotherapy treatment that had been used to battle his osteo. Though it was not an unheard of side effect of treatment, it was said to be both rare and likely to occur 10 to 12 years after treatment rather than almost immediately.
With both AML and signs of a recurrence of the osteo, Alex was terminally ill with two diseases which had different treatment protocols.
He lived three months more and LIVED during those days. We spent Christmas at the cottage tobogganing, eating, and playing games with almost all of our very large family together at Alex’s request. He ate chicken wings and laughed with a Joker smile of hot sauce on his cheeks with friends at his favourite wing joint. He played games and talked late into the night with Ben and Maddie. We shared laughter and tears, and never gave up hope that he might be a miracle. We loved him and he loved us back.
We lost him in February of 2009, but he remains with us every day.
We began to ride in his honour as Team Axle while he was recovering in 2008 and continued after he died. I ride because I love the people that I meet in these CTCACF events. I love that I am doing something positive to help other kids afflicted with cancer, which Alex wanted me to do. I do it because I can, and because I sincerely believe that we can make an impact on kids’ lives and on the treatment of cancer. I do it because the only way to accept the tragedy of Alex’s death is do make something positive of it.
I am excited by SNKCR because I expect to meet extraordinary people who will inspire me to dream larger and to do more in this battle. And I expect to see Alex along the way, in a smile, a butterfly, a ray of sunshine or beautiful cloud, in a sick child, and in a healthy child.
“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” – Jack Layton
