Most people consider themselves lucky if they retain a lifelong parental bond that inspires them to work and live together and even fund-raise for important MS Society of Canada causes.
But Whistler resident, assistant manager for Whistler’s Mountain Home Decor and long-time MS Bike participant Becky Kinney would not have it any other way and just takes her close relationship with her dad for granted, she says. “We’ve always been close. We have talked every day – even when I was out East – for as long as I can remember,” says Kinney.
The bond was likely strengthened by the reality Kinney and her dad missed out on the kind of quality time they would have liked to have had with Kinney’s grandmother who was diagnosed with MS approximately 40 years ago.
Kinney recalls she didn’t have the same opportunities to bond with her grandmother as other grandchildren did. The disease, a long-term auto-immune disorder that attacks the central nervous system and affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, prevented her from having the same fun grandparent experiences other children would talk about. “As my grandma was diagnosed before I was born, MS has always been a part of my life. She lived with the illness for over 25 years before it took her life. Seeing the way, the illness impacted not only her life, but also our whole family, was heartbreaking. I wish more than anything a cure for MS came a century earlier and my Grandma could have been able to live her life to the fullest and watch all of our lives evolve as we grow up!” says Kinney.
Armed with that reality and knowing her dad, over the years, missed out on mother-and-son bonding moments too, she decided the MS Bike Fraser Valley ride was the perfect way to make up for any memories MS may have cheated them both from having. “I figured us taking part in the MS Bike experience was the best way to keep my grandmother’s memory alive for the both of us and at the same time, a way to support the need for on-going research into Canada’s disease,” says Kinney.
Since 2014, Kinney has been involved with MS Bike, riding and raising funds. She says she wasn’t content to limit her fund-raising to just the event so augments her efforts with annual community bottle drives and a Community Barn mimosa and mason jar bouquets fund-raiser, (affectionately called Baskets, Bevys and Blooms). Collectively to date she has raised more than $10,000 for MS research and she is hoping to raise another $10,000 this year. Her teammates are also very busy fundraising and have raised, to date, over $1,000 themselves.
MS Bike– Fraser Valley – July 14 and 15, 2018
WHO: More than 120 cyclists will come together to ride up to 170 km through B.C.’s beautiful Fraser Valley to change the lives of Canadians affected by multiple sclerosis as part of MS Bike.
WHAT: MS Bike, the largest fundraising cycling series in North America, is a fundraising event that offers cyclists of all abilities and ages with the opportunity to ride through scenic parts of the province such as Langley in support of those affected by MS.
WHEN: July 14 Check-In – 7:00 a.m.; Start – 9:00 a.m.; Finish – 12:30 p.m. Onwards
July 15 Start – 9:30 a.m.; Finish – 11:30 am Onwards
WHERE: Thunderbird Show Park 6975 248th Street, Langley, BC V4V 1C2
WHY: Funds raised from the MS Bike support innovative research into the cause, treatment and cure of MS as well as provide valuable services, programs and advocacy for Canadians affected by MS.
For more information about MS Bike, visit msbike.ca.
To make a donation to Kinney’s team, visit: Becky Kinney MS Bike donation page
To register for the MS Bike Fraser Valley Experience, visit:
