Some things can't be ignored

There's a good chance that the moment you realize I'm going to ask you for a donation, you'll click away to somewhere else.

But I'm going to ask you to wait and read this first before making that choice. Maybe the little that I have to say will sink in at some point over the next couple of months and you'll decide to come back and help me out.

On the evening of June 17th, this will be my 4th year participating in the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

The Relay For Life is an overnight non-competitive relay (walk or run) that celebrates cancer survivors and pays tribute to loved ones. Funds raised through support the Canadian Cancer Society’s mission to eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life of Canadians living with cancer.

• The number of new cancer cases will increase by approximately 60% over the next 20 years due to our aging and growing population.
• Cancer is the leading cause of premature death in Canada.
• During their lifetimes 39% of Canadian women and 45% of men will develop cancer.
• Nearly 1 of every 2 men is expected to develop cancer during his lifetime and slightly more than 1 of every 3 women will develop cancer during her lifetime. Approximately 1 out of every 4 Canadians will die from cancer.

I lost my father to cancer in 1998 and a friend in 2008. My wife lost an uncle to cancer in 2009. Sadly, if you ask anyone, there's a good chance that they too have been affected by this disease.

I don't normally start seeking donations this early, but last year the organizers decided to "award" early leading teams their choice of locations to camp out around the track that night, rather than on a "first come" basis. Our team is hoping to be one of those teams this year, if they decide to do the same thing. All of our kids are coming with us this year and it's so much easier to keep tabs on them.

If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider donating. You can do it online using your credit card: http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/paterson It only takes a few more minutes of your time.

A blog posting is easy to ignore — cancer isn't. We have to fight it. A fight needs support.

Thank you.

(Statistics source: www.cancer.ca)