Nearly every member of our community has been personally touched by cancer in one way or another. I lost my mother in May 2005 to cancer. She fought for almost 3 years and watching her struggle was one of the most difficult things. Above she is pictured with a Lipizzaner Stallion. With the help of Tony Jackson and Tri-Cities Chaplaincy she was able to attend this event and go back stage to meet one of these magnificent horses. The next day she was transferred to Tri-Cities Chaplaincy and passed away a few days later. She became the motivation behind “Strides Against Cancer”.
Along with some lifelong friends, we came up with a way to honor my mother and her commitment to the horse community by starting the “Strides Against Cancer” Horse Show. She was an avid Horseman involved in AQHA, Appaloosa, 4-H and just plain fun. The first show took place in October 2005. At that time it was called “Ride For Cancer” and there were 25 4-H exhibiters who competed. We have since changed our name to “Strides Against Cancer” to show the fight we have partaken in against the effects of Cancer. In 2007, we had over 70 exhibiters young and old. We hope to continue to grow and become one of the largest Horse related fundraisers supporting the fight against Cancer.
This event has become the Equine Communities way of stepping up to the challenge that faces our families and friends. Our goal is to give hope to those who have been affected by Cancer. All the money raised from this event is donated to the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation. The money goes to help those with cancer in a multitude of ways. It supports those going through Chemotherapy and Radiation (which causes hair loss) by deferring some of the cost for wigs, hats and scarves. Hair loss is one of the hardest things for Cancer patients, my mother always said it was like an advertisement that screamed “Hey! I have Cancer”. Our funds assist in bringing back confidence. These funds also help with providing cancer screenings for the community, cancer prevention programs, education programs, supporting care-coordination for cancer patients, and much, much more.
Strides Against Cancer was created to help win the battle against Cancer and it was started because of the loss of a wonderful woman, Trace Hauger, who was so active in this horse community. I couldn't save her, but we can allow her to live on with your help and maybe save others from the destruction Cancer causes.
Sincerely, Erica Dykeman Co-Founder
