DORVAL, QC,
Sept. 22
/CNW Telbec/ - Twenty years ago this month, 12-year-old
Joseph Power
was a very worried boy. The future wasn't bright for his mother, who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery to remove three tumours and 12 lymph nodes, eight of them cancerous. This afternoon, his mother will be among those welcoming 32-year-old Joseph as he and 37 of his colleagues at Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Canada
complete a four-day bicycle trip from
Toronto
to
Montreal
that has raised approximately
$115,000
for breast cancer research.
Bernadette Power
is very much alive, now 62 and still cancer-free 20 years after her initial devastating diagnosis that led her to write farewell letters to each of her three children before her surgery. "You never feel as if you've beaten it," she says. "You count every day as a grace." And she gives back, helping current cancer patients through their ordeal as part of the "Sharing Our Strength" support group in her home city of
St. John's
, Newfoundland.
"It's a good-news story that we want to share," says Joseph. "A disease like cancer can make the future seem very bleak, but it can turn around. My mother went from thinking she might not be able to raise her own kids to being a grandmother."
This powerful experience, plus his enthusiasm for cycling, explains why
Joseph Power
is one of the 38 Novartis employees who, over the past four days, have pedaled the 600 km from
Toronto
to
Montreal
to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. They are expected to complete their trip at
2 p.m.
today at the Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Canada
headquarters, 385 Bouchard Blvd., Dorval, where they will be greeted by
Mrs. Power
, their fellow employees and friends, and where they will present their proceeds to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
(
Montreal
media are welcome to attend the arrival of the team at the Novartis headquarters. Please call Lise Huneault, 514-966-7524, to make arrangements and get updated times and details.)
Each participant in this fifth annual "Ride for the Cure" raised a minimum of
$2,000
for the cause before their journey began. Along with donations they were hoping to receive en route, they expect their pedalling will raise approximately
$115,000
for breast cancer research. The cyclists encourage all those moved by their effort to make a donation by visiting www.novartis.ca.
"We congratulate the Novartis employees who are participating in this fith annual Ride for the Cure, for their dedication and commitment to the cause," said
Victoria Mackinlay
, Manager, Marketing & Communications, at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. "By working together we can help achieve our vision of a future without breast cancer."
The riders, all amateurs and most only recreational cyclists, rode between 115 and 200 km each day. They left from the CN Tower in
Toronto
on Saturday morning,
Sept. 19
, and made their way to
Montreal
along highway #2, stopping overnight in Cobourg, Kingston and, last night, Cornwall. A further 21 Novartis employees joined the group at the
Quebec
border to participate in today's final leg to
Montreal
.
"The Ride for the Cure has become one of the major elements of our community commitment and I'm immensely proud of how all of our colleagues have embraced this effort and this cause," said
David Meek
, President and CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Canada
. "We work with cancer patients every day and most of us have been touched personally by the disease, so we know its impact and the importance of continuing research to help fight it."
The Ride for the Cure effort was started in 2005 by a group of Novartis employees to increase the company's fundraising efforts for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure and with this year's efforts, the total raised will exceed half a million dollars. In 2008, Novartis was the top fundraising organization for the
Montreal
Run, largely because of the Ride for the Cure effort. Hundreds of Novartis employees, friends and family participated in last year's
Montreal
Run, as well as at various other Run events across the country where groups of field-based employees gathered.
About breast cancer in
Canada
The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that 22,700 women and 180 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, an average of more than 430 per week. An estimated 5,400 women and 50 men will die from the disease this year, more than 100 per week. One in nine (11%) of Canadian women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime. However, since 1999 the incidence of breast cancer in
Canada
has stabilized and since 1986 the death rate from the disease has fallen by more than 30%, likely due to improvements in screening and advances in treatment. At present, the five-year relative survival rate for breast cancer in
Canada
is 87%, meaning that women diagnosed with breast cancer have an 87% likelihood of living for five years after their diagnosis.
About Novartis
Canada
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Canada
Inc., a leader in the healthcare field, is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of innovative products to improve the well-being of all Canadians. In 2008, the Company invested more than
$96 million
in research and development. As a long-time sponsor of the annual CIBC Run for the Cure, Novartis
Canada
has made a commitment to breast cancer research as well as supporting physician and patient awareness. Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Canada
Inc. employs approximately 800 people in
Canada
and its headquarters are located in Dorval,
Quebec
. It was named again one of the "50 Best Employers in
Canada
" in 2009. For further information, please consult www.novartis.ca.
For further information: Lise Huneault, Communications, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada, (514) 631-6775, ext. 1203, (514) 966-7524, [email protected]; Jean Kanan, HKDP Communications & Public Affairs, (514) 395-0375, ext. 225, (514) 234-4095, [email protected]
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