As anyone who has ever heard their doctor utter the word ‘cancer’ will tell you, such a diagnosis can be a terrifying thing – for both the patient and family alike.
And it’s a situation that Eric Knight and his wife, Sabine, are all too familiar with.
Sabine was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2012, and had the last of two surgeries on Christmas Eve that same year. Radiation treatments followed, and while she’s been cancer-free for three years, Eric said the memories of that time – the fear, the uncertainty – are still as vivid as ever.
“You don’t know what to do, you don’t know where to go (for support). It can be very lonely, and frightening,” he said. “When Sabine was diagnosed, it was devastating, but we were lucky enough to have people around us to offer help.”
It’s why he and his colleagues at South Surrey’s Barnes Wheaton GM are such big supporters of the CIBC Run for the Cure, the annual event – this year set for Oct. 4 – which serves as a fundraiser for the BC Breast Cancer Foundation and is staged at sites across the country. Surrey’s event will be hosted at Bear Creek Park, while Vancouver and Abbotsford runs are also planned.
As a way to raise funds for the cause, Barnes Wheaton GM South Surrey will host it’s third annual Family Day event tomorrow (Saturday), from noon until 4:30 p.m.
The event will feature a silent auction, a dunk tank – with Eric as the featured guest – and if weather permits, a bouncy castle for younger guests. As well, hotdogs and hamburgers will be served.
Donations will also be accepted on-site for the Run for the Cure efforts, while staff at the car dealership will also be collecting donations of bottles; a bottle-drive has been ongoing for a few weeks.
Last year’s event raised $12,000, and this year’s goal is $20,000.
A few volunteers from the breast-cancer foundation will also be on hand, Eric said, to help those who may have questions about the foundation, or queries about where to find support.
“What we can do is let people know that support is out there. You might just not know where to go, or where to look, but it doesn’t have to be such a scary thing, if you have support,” he said.
Barnes Wheaton South Surrey is located at 3050 King George Blvd. For more on the CIBC Run for the Cure, visit www.cibcrunforthecure.com