Get your rear in gear on Saturday!

June 12, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

It’s time to get your rear in gear!

So says Kerry Easton, a Barrie resident, who will make her second trek down to Aurora next Saturday, June 22, to do exactly that in Push for Your Tush.
The annual Walk and Run, hosted by Colon Cancer Canada, gets underway at 4.15 p.m. with registration beginning at 2.45 p.m. It is the third year running for the event, founded in part by Tanya’s Tushies, in honour of Tanya Shepherd, who lost her battle with colon cancer in 2009.

Since coming together in Tanya’s honour, they have raised nearly $50,000 for colon cancer research and indeed awareness because, at the time, public awareness of “below the belt” cancers such as hers was relatively low.

This was the case with Kerry’s husband. His journey with colon cancer began in May 2011 when he found blood in his stool. Beginning chemotherapy that November, he had his last round in May 2012 and soon after found himself in Aurora, surrounded by countless friends and family, all wearing white t-shirts saying “Kickin’ it in the Ass.” Well, they actually said, “Kickin’ it in the” followed by a picture of a donkey, but you get the idea.

“When the doctor sat there and laid it all down on the table, it was a shock,” says Kerry. “I don’t think there is enough awareness, especially with young people, and getting the whole thing done. It’s a great cause to support and cancer just seems to be popping up in everybody’s life way too soon these days.

“I just wanted to do something to surprise my husband and it was overwhelming when we walked down that hill into the park and there was just a sea of white. Everybody was wearing our Rears in Gear shirt and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

“I quietly gathered up as many people as I possibly could and we all met at the walk and he had no idea. Now, we have made it our own thing to get back every year and to do it from now on. It is bittersweet for me because he will be able to wear the ‘survivor’ shirt this year.”

The June 22 walk offers something for everyone, from a 1k “toddler walk”, to a 5k walk and a 10k run.

For more information, visit coloncancercanada.ca/walk.