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Ladner resident takes on cycling challenge to fight childhood cancer

Jaime Pacreu is aiming to raise $3,000 and ride 300 km in August
Jamie Pacreu
Raising awareness and funds to help sick children fight cancer is a cause very near and dear to Ladner resident Jaime Pacreu’s heart.

Raising awareness and funds to help sick children fight cancer is a cause very near and dear to Ladner resident Jaime Pacreu’s heart.

During the month of August he will be taking on the Great Cycle Challenge (GCC), which is a fundraising initiative supporting Canada’s largest paediatric oncology centre, the Garron Family Cancer Centre at SickKids.

Because this is the sixth year he’s participated – and has raised a total of $4,270 in previous years – Pacreu has been named an official GCC “Champion.”

This time around, his goal is to ride 300 km and raise $3,000 to go towards researching, treating and finding a cure for all childhood cancers.

“I have two kids, and I’m fortunate that they’re healthy, but I truly believe that kids should be kids. They should be playing and they should be enjoying their lives, not be in a hospital bed trying to stay alive,” he says.

Pacreu will be riding on the weekends of August in his free time, alternating between cycling around Boundary Bay and Stanley Park.

His first ride of the challenge will be a group ride at the 25 km looping Traboulay PoCo Trail, where he aims to ride 100 km alongside fellow cyclists taking on the Great Cycle Challenge Canada.

Pacreu has loved cycling since he was a child himself, and he has carried that passion into his adult life.

“Cancer is a terrible disease for anyone. In my family, my grandma passed away from pancreatic cancer,” he says. “I believe, certainly, if there is something that I can do to support [this cause], I will do it. And why not combine something that I really enjoy with something that I’m really interested in supporting?”

In 2020, the Great Cycle Challenge raised $9,408,340 with 52,205 riders across Canada, says the SickKids website.

To donate and stay up to date on Pacreu’s efforts, visit www.greatcyclechallenge.ca/riders/JaimePacreu.