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Believe in the Gold is a symbol for kids with cancer

Story by Theresa Nett Team alumni Dan Rashovich, former linebacker for 16 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, is now backing up a foundation dedicated to researching and improving treatments for children’s cancer.
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Dan Rashovich is a Rough Riders alumni in support of Believe in the Gold foundation that supports children with cancer

Story by Theresa Nett

Team alumni Dan Rashovich, former linebacker for 16 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, is now backing up a foundation dedicated to researching and improving treatments for children’s cancer. At a lunch and learn presentation at Crescent Point Energy Corp, he was joined by fellow alumni offensive tackle Andrew Greene to acknowledge the company as the foremost financial donor.

The Believe in the Gold Foundation was started six years ago in Calgary by Shonalie Biafore, and has now spread to Saskatchewan. Her daughter Jacey, was diagnosed in 2010 with a very rare cancer called Erwin’s Sarcoma, similar to the cancer Terry Fox had. Jacey passed away in 2012 but left behind the catch phrase “Believe”. Her mother started a foundation funding research into new treatments for children, and offer financial support to local families with children who had been diagnosed with cancer.

“I was approached by a friend who started asking me questions, if I knew anything about gold, how it’s the symbol for kids with cancer, and he asked if I knew only 4 per cent of funding for cancer research go towards research for kids with the disease,” said Rashovich. “What do you want me to do, I asked, and my friend said chair this event we’re having. I thought I can do better than that, let’s get the whole Roughrider alumni on it. They jumped on it.”

With last year’s Believe in the Gold Walk or Run Rashovich first as chair, the event raised about $70,000, with Crescent Point donating $30,000 of that total. The funds are split between local families at 45 per cent, research at 45 per cent, and the final 10 per cent towards raising awareness. The research funds go directly to support the work of Dr. Doug Mahoney at the University of Calgary for immunotherapy as a cancer treatment.

“It’s in the midst of revolutionizing cancer therapy,” said Mahoney. In the last decade immunotherapy has become the “fourth pillar” in cancer treatments. Biafore had wanted to fund new treatments and that brought her to Mahoney. The oncology team at the Alberta Children’s Hospital that had treated her daughter reached out to him on her behalf. After a discussion of his research, particularly with viral immunotherapy along with a recommendation from the Alberta Children’s Hospital also funding this research, she decided to allocate 45 per cent of the money raised towards the research of the new treatment as well as a donation to the Cummings School of Medicine, the medical department of the University of Calgary where Mahoney has his lab.

“It’s based around the idea that viruses are essentially to us like little programmable robots. In a nutshell, the viruses are engineered to infect the cancer cells and start to kill them. It is also engineered to help the patient’s immune system learn what cancer is, what it looks like, and helps seek out and destroy it. It basically like a two-part system,” said Mahoney.  Immunotherapy was approved in 2011 by the FDA and has shown very promising results in treating melanoma (skin cancer) and lung cancer. The causes of childhood cancer to this day remain unknown. Alterations in adult DNA that are caused by smoking for example might be easier to track, but in children there are no known causes. Mahoney’s research is based on finding a treatment specifically for children with cancer.

With 45 per cent of the money raised supporting families in the province, this was one of the important parts that brought Crescent Point Energy Corp aboard as a supporter, according to Taralyn French who is in charge of health and wellness for the company. “We helped 17 families last year. Crescent Point has done a lot for our community and it’s so nice to see that it’s affecting our local families. It makes you proud to work here that’s for sure.” French was also the organizer for the August 22 lunch and learn.

Mahoney added that parents often have to take a leave of absence or even quit their jobs where treatment for kids with cancer is involved. “Parents sometimes have to move from a rural area to a city for a long period of time (for treatment for their kids). As great as our health care system is, not all of the expenses are covered all the time.”

That’s where Believe in Gold can play a big part for families when they are seeking out treatment options. “There are obviously some consequences to radiation and chemotherapy and surgeries that are not so nice. So if there were a better way of treating people, they would certainly choose it,” said Mahoney.

This year’s annual Believe in the Gold Foundation will be hosting a walk and run in Wascana on Saturday, September 22, and Rashovich encourages everyone to come out. “It’s kind of like a mini Disneyland. It’s the best way to describe it. They will be throwing around footballs with Roughrider alumni in their jerseys. There will be therapy dogs, Rider tattoos for the kids, face painting and golden balloons.”