Cops pedal through Surrey for cancer

CLOVERDALE – Several police officers traded in their blue uniform for tight cycling apparel to be part of this year’s Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley.

The ride arrived in Surrey on Wednesday morning (Oct. 1) at Applewood Kia, Clayton Elementary and Cloverdale Christian School.

Simran Sarai is a survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was at Clayton Elementary for their first assembly of the year.

The Grade 9 Earl Marriot Secondary student was on hand to help officers inform the children about the ride, the Canadian Cancer Society and Camp Goodtimes – a camp in Maple Ridge for children with cancer and their families.

Simran was excited to see how many people were part of the campaign to ride across the Fraser Valley this year.

“It’s really amazing because you see these people and they’re giving up time away from their families to come ride and raise support for Camp Goodtimes,” she said. “It’s just really amazing to see that people would actually do that.”

Simran, who has been cancer free for five years, was diagnosed with leukemia when she was six years old.
 Her father, Sarj, said getting the news his daughter had cancer was devastating.

“It kind of blows you away. It’s not something you wish upon anybody, to have to bear news like that. Success to get through it is the reward at the end I guess, but I wish we could all have that reward,” said Sarj.

Simran went through 26 months of chemotherapy, blood transfusions and hospital check-ins before she was cleared of cancer.

The Cops for Cancer ride has raised more than $32 million for the Canadian Cancer Society since 1997.

The money goes towards cancer research and family support programs like Camp Goodtimes.

The ride finishes on Friday (Oct. 3) with 10 a.m. stops at two Newton Coast Capital Savings branches – in Sunshine Hills (6350 120th Street) and Strawberry Hill (12091 72nd Avenue).

There are over 100 participants riding across the four different “tours.” All of the tours are close to 4,000 kilometres with 60 different community stops along the way.

For more information, visit Copsforcancerbc.ca or on Twitter at Twitter.com/cancersocietybc.

kyle.benning@gmail.com