The organizers: Christian Jones and Hannah Josh
The pitch: Raising $28,000
The cause: Ovarian cancer research
Christian Jones and his wife Hannah Josh in Vancouver. Mr. Jones cycled across nearly 1,000 km of Iceland to raise money for BC Cancer Foundation in honour of Hannah, who is a cancer survivor.Supplied
Hannah Josh always knew she was genetically at high risk of developing breast cancer. But it still came as a shock when she received the diagnosis two years ago, at 29.
Her mother had battled breast cancer twice, and beat it, and Ms. Josh and her sister, Bethany, carried the BRCA genes, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Ms. Josh went through several rounds of chemotherapy and had a double mastectomy. Bethany was diagnosed with breast cancer around the same time, at 25, and also had a double mastectomy.
In the midst of everything, Ms. Josh married Christian Jones. Their wedding had been planned for years and it was set to take place in Spain just two months after her diagnosis. Thanks to the support of oncologists, surgeons and the BC Cancer Foundation, the couple tied the knot as planned.
“That really moved us,” Mr. Jones recalled from their home in Vancouver. “We both really just wanted to give back to that organization and that community. So we thought, let’s do a fundraiser.”
Mr. Jones, 34, is an avid cyclist and he’d always wanted to do a trip around a remote part of Iceland called the Westfjords. “It felt like this was just sort of the perfect way to marry these two things together,” he said.
He teamed up with his friend, Matt Braun, who built two custom bikes, and they headed off in July on a nine-day trip around the Westfjords, covering 925 kilometres. They also raised $28,000 for BC Cancer to fund ovarian cancer research, a cause Ms. Josh felt had not gotten enough attention.
Mr. Jones cycling in Iceland's Westfjords.Supplied
Mr. Jones said Ms. Josh and her sister are cancer-free and back to full health. He and Mr. Braun are grateful for the support they received during the bike ride, and they’re thinking about another fundraising trip. “It was just so incredible that we had so many people believe in the cause that we were riding for,” he said.