Pitching in: Support services for people living with cancer

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The organizer: Dave Nitsche

The pitch: Raising $5,000

The cause: Wellspring Alberta

When Dave Nitsche started having trouble with his left eye five years ago, doctors initially thought he had a detached retina.

The condition worsened and within a few weeks Mr. Nitsche lost sight in the eye. Doctors removed it and performed a biopsy on the tissue which turned out to be cancerous. They discovered that the cancer had spread from his lungs.

“They told me that I was Stage 4 lung cancer,” recalled Mr. Nitsche, 55, who has never smoked and was told the cancer stemmed from a genetic defect. “So it’s like getting hit by a bus.”

Shortly after his diagnosis Mr. Nitsche heard about Wellspring Alberta, a centre near his home in Calgary that offers support services to people living with cancer. Volunteers at the centre helped Mr. Nitsche sort out his finances, draft a will and find out about social programs. “The people there are just phenomenal,” he said.

He has raised some money for Wellspring over the years, but in June Mr. Nitsche will take on his most ambitious fundraiser. He’s participating in the BC Epic 1000, a 1,066-kilometre ride across south central B.C. from Merritt to Fernie that’s mostly along the Trans Canada Trail. Participants have to be self-sufficient, which means there are no support vehicles, and cyclists carry their own supplies.

Mr. Nitsche has been riding up to 100 km a day in preparation and several friends have offered to cycle alongside him at various points on the journey, which is allowed. He hopes to raise at least $5,000 for Wellspring. “I really want to raise awareness about lung cancer and test myself to see what I can still do,” he said.

Mr. Nitsche, who retired from a forklift company, still receives regular treatment and he tries to keep up a normal life. “There isn’t the day goes by that I don’t think ‘Oh, geez, I’ve got cancer.’ But you have to keep going.”