Romantic love and a ring was the focus for Christine White when she filmed the rom-comiest of reality game shows last summer on the Bachelor Canada. But for the 30-year-old music teacher and model, the enduring love she feels for her late sister is what has pushed her along 240 kilometres of coastal highway each summer for the past four years.
White鈥檚 little sister Laura died of leukemia three weeks after she was diagnosed in 2002. Laura was 15 and was in remission when her heart stopped abruptly.
Since 2011 and again this August, Christine White has cycled from 麻豆传媒映画to Seattle in the . On two occasions, her now-68-year-old father rode alongside her.
鈥淭he loss of my sister became increasingly more painful as the years went on and as the realization set in that I would never physically see her again,鈥� White wrote while on a family trip to the Philippines. 鈥淭he Ride helped me grieve and channel my emotions of sadness and anger into something very positive and sacred 鈥� I was cycling in her memory and for the sake of others, in hopes that no other person will have to suffer as she did.鈥�
According to , the survival rate for Laura鈥檚 cancer was just 11 per cent in 2002. The survival rate for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is now between 60 and 80 per cent.
These gains continue to push White forward in commemoration of her sister.
鈥淚 cycle annually because I see results,鈥� said White. 鈥淚 hear of children like Laura who are diagnosed with AML and survive. They undergo new protocol and treatment. Laura beat the disease when it was only a slim 12 per cent 鈥榗ure鈥� rate but died from the treatment's side effects. Now that the cure rate is [higher] for children diagnosed with AML, I feel I have contributed in some way even if it is just a little. That makes me so happy.鈥�
Each year she completes the distance, White becomes stronger. Her body remembers the route, she is prepared for climbs and knows how to push through the hardest miles because she can look forward to waffles at each pit stop. She鈥檚 seen changes in more than her endurance.
鈥淚 became emotionally stronger because of the Ride. There was a time when I could not even mention my sister without welling up in tears. Before I got involved with the Ride, I was afraid that mentioning my sister or any memories I had with her would make others uncomfortable. I was pained with the feeling that because she died, her name became taboo,鈥� said White.
鈥淚t was the Ride that later gave me the voice and confidence to speak truthfully and passionately about my sister's battle with cancer and her fight.鈥�
In addition to riding in her memory, White found that cycling brings back literal memories of her sister. The physical act is meditative, she said, and has been a powerful part of grieving.
鈥淭he time I make for the journey is my own, and my thoughts are always with my sister. When I cycle through our old neighbourhood, I remember her walking her dog Ayla. When I cycle past our elementary and high schools, I remember our music classes together and the fun times we had composing music. The soccer field, the candy store, etcetera,鈥� said White, who graduated from UBC鈥檚 school of music with top-of-her-class academic honours.
As a contestant on the Bachelor Canada, White drew attention to her cause by wearing the kind of bracelet that has become unmistakable in its association with the disease. Before she went home in the third week, the bracelet was visible through the episodes and on her wrist as she held red roses.
Long before filming began, she wore the black and yellow Ride to Conquer Cancer wristband. 鈥淚 did talk about the cause, but is was mainly off camera,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am hoping to have another fundraiser in the future and collaborate with many of my now-friends from the show.鈥�
In her first year, White raised $2,500 to benefit the B.C. Cancer Foundation. Since then, she鈥檚 contributed more than $75,000 and .
