09/24/2026
9 days. That’s it. 💕🎗️
On Sunday, October 4, hundreds of people will come together in Surrey for the CIBC Run for the Cure, and I genuinely cannot believe we’re already this close.
I’m not going to lie — this year has been HARD.
The Run is almost entirely volunteer-led, which is still kind of wild when you think about the scale of it. Over 1000 people on site, 50+ sponsors, approximately one million permits/logistical things to figure out 😂 and wanting to raise more than $200,000 for breast cancer research and support.
And the people making it happen? Mostly volunteers with full-time jobs or going to university who somehow squeeze this enormous event into their evenings, weekends and roughly 700 WhatsApp messages a day. (More between my co-director and I.. husbands.. what husbands haha)
The last few weeks have probably been some of the hardest I’ve had in my 9 years as a Run Director. We did not have a Site Lead this year who usually takes care of anything site related, gets the equipment rentals, maps, permits, sweet talking companies to turn their invoices into donations. My husband had to have emergency unplanned open heart surgery which came with a lot of complications earlier this year.. 3 month hospital stay where I worked off his bedside table 14 hours a day, then 2 months rehab working inbetween visits. People kept asking why I didn't take a year off. Simple. Cancer doesn't take a year off in my family.
I have been working 16-hour days between my actual job and the Run, answering messages at ridiculous hours, solving problems I didn’t know existed and picking up things that suddenly didn’t have anyone to do them.
I am EXHAUSTED. 😂
But weirdly, nothing motivates me quite like this event does.
Because every single time something has gone wrong this year, someone else has stepped forward. I have the most amazing Co-Director who flew in head first without questioning how to do something. She just does it. Our committee has rallied in a way that makes me incredibly proud to lead them. People have taken on more, jumped into jobs that weren’t theirs and kept going when it would have been very easy to say “not my problem.”
And Surrey has shown up for us over and over again in these last 14 years .
Our kids zone is a great Carnival theme this year . Industrial Scaffolding is coming in to set up our start finish lines with their bright pink scaffolding and thi syear our finish line is not at the start line and they said not a problem we will bring two pink sets; .Browns Social House is bringing a BBQ and hand out sliders for everyone. We have never had that. Digital Printing came on board and is printing our large 3'x4' signage of ALL our Gold/Silver sponsors; Staples stepped in to print hundreds of notices for homes along our route. Glen Traffic is doing our traffic management as this year we are OUT of a park and out in the public. Another first for us.
And those are literally just a handful of examples. 💗
I think it’s really easy to look at the news right now and feel a little bleak about people and the state of the world. But come spend a day helping put on a volunteer event in Surrey.
You’ll see people giving up their weekends for strangers. Businesses donating things simply because we asked. People hearing “we’re in a bit of trouble” and immediately saying, “What do you need?”
You’ll see a LOT of good.
And I think that’s one of the reasons that, even in a year where this event has absolutely kicked my butt 😂, I still love doing it.
Because for me, this is personal too.
Breast cancer has intensely impacted my family, and every ridiculous hour I put into this event is because I am completely here for creating a future where fewer families ever have to hear the words “you have cancer.” I have experience. I am a 20 year survivor.
Right now, Surrey is on track to raise more than $200,000 for breast cancer research and support.
So I’m tired. I’m probably going to get even more tired over the next 9 days. 😂 But I am also unbelievably excited to stand there on October 4 and watch hundreds of people cross that start line knowing what it took from so many people to get us there.
We have 9 days left. 💕
If you’ve been thinking about donating, even $10 or $25 multiplied across hundreds of people makes a very real difference.
And right now, for every $25 you donate, you’ll receive an entry to WIN an Oura Ring — and that is a pretty great bonus. 😂
Donate here 👉 https://support.cancer.ca/site/SPageServer...
And if you’re in Surrey on October 4, come find me.
I’ll be the one running around with a radio, hugging everyone crossing that finishing line, telling everyone YOU DID IT!! And surviving entirely on adrenaline and probably looking mildly unhinged but extremely happy. 😂🎀
