I Ride For Cody – Last February, Jon Shrier lost his dear friend Cody to cancer. Known to Cody and his brother Kyle as Uncle Jonathan, he has been a very close friend and a big part of their family for many years. After Cody lost his battle on February 3rd 2020, they found a note where he wrote that he wanted to start a foundation to help other Cancer-stricken kids. In memory of Cody, Jon made the decision to honour his wishes and he came up with the idea of riding his One Wheel electric skateboard from Montreal to Whistler BC to raise the funds. He plans to finish the trip in about 30 days – with the goal of raising $30,000.
It was on May 22nd 2019 when Cody was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer called Osteo Ewing Sarcoma that developed from out of his left rib. For five months, he underwent intense treatments to shrink the tumour as much as possible, before going in for surgery. Cody was a fighter and determined to fight the disease – and to live his life the same way as if he did not have it. He even asked to be taken off his IV to complete a 5km run and then come back to be hooked up again – much to the amazement of the hospital staff. He was so determined that while receiving his treatments he never stopped working out, going to work as a lifeguard or attending his classes at John Abbott College as he was entering his third year in the Business program.
Cody underwent eight hours of surgery on November 6th 2019 at the Montreal General Hospital. Four of his ribs and half of his left lung, along with the tumour were removed. The surgery was considered a huge success and he was even told by his doctor told that he was cancer-free and all he had to do was have four more months of his chemotherapy treatments – and he would live a long and healthy life. All seemed to be going well, until they found out on December 12th that his cancer had come back – and with a ‘vengeance’. On February 3rd 2020, after nine long months of fighting for his life, Cody lost his battle.
Jon will ride over 4700 kilometres to raise the funds. He will have a spare wheel with him and is hoping a sponsor will come forth with an extra One Wheel skateboard, so he does not have to stop and wait while it is charging. The route from Montreal to Whistler was chosen for a significant reason – Cody lived in Montreal, but born in Whistler. For more details about Cody’s journey and to donate to the campaign go to http://cmbfund.org.
Other top articles from mtltimes.ca and totimes.ca
Montreal Le Cheeseburger week 2020 around the corner
