One month ago today I started counting kilometres as part of the Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (CNETS) HOOFING IT Across Canada fundraising challenge. My initial goal was to walk and/or hike 100 km and raise $1500 for NET cancer research by the time the campaign comes to an end on September 7.

So, how am I doing?

During the month of July, I walked 70.23 km, mostly up and down the streets of our tiny town and on the walking trail around the perimeter of the golf course. When that got too boring I headed out of town and enjoyed a couple of walks in the country. Most of the time, I wear my zebra stripes when I’m walking. Our local newspaper did an article on me on July 1st, so I’m hoping that when people see me, they’ll think, “There goes that lady who’s raising money for that rare cancer that she has. I should really make a donation.”

Thanks to 22 big-hearted donors, I’ve been able to raise $1295 so far which places me amongst the top 10 fundraisers. I’m hoping that, with the help of a few more generous people, I can meet or even surpass my goal.

For me, a NETS cancer patient living in a rural area where I’m very much on my own, being a part of this effort has definitely been a morale booster. Members of the neuroendocrine cancer community across Canada have committed to racking up as many kilometres as we can by walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, cycling, roller-blading, or any other forward moving activity that we can think of and tracking our individual distances. The results have been beyond amazing! Our original goal was 5,514 kilometres, the distance from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Yukon. We surpassed that in less than two weeks and doubled our goal to 11,028 km, the distance across Canada and back. Would you believe that we’ve already reached that milestone? Our latest goal is 20,000 km. We’re a determined bunch and we’re going to keep criss-crossing Canada as many times as we can until the end of this campaign!

Unfortunately, we’re not doing as well in the fundraising department. So far, we’ve raised $36,399 which is admirable for a group of just 78 people, but that’s a long way from our goal of $100,000. With just five weeks left we really need to bear down and focus on finding donors to help us meet our goal so that we can continue to support critical research projects that will eventually find the answers we so desperately need; answers to what causes this disease, how to detect it earlier, how to treat it more effectively, and ultimately, how to cure it.

I hate to continue nagging, especially when times are tough for many people, but if you haven’t already made a donation, would you please consider visiting my fundraising page and giving us a much needed boost? No amount is too small.