On Sunday, November 10th, I am participating in Beat the Crap out of Cancer XV. On this day, practitioners of a diverse array of martial arts from swordsmanship to stick-fighting will join together in cities around the world for a day of fun and friendly sparring to raise awareness and funds in support of cancer research and care. I will be taking out my longsword and rallying my team, "Haley's Honour Guard", to fight and fundraise in honour and memory of my daughter Haley, who we lost to colon cancer in October 2023 at only 20 years old.

Haley was just getting started with her life, studying Psychology at Simon Fraser University, with the eventual goal of becoming a psychologist and using her skills to help others. She had a love of travel and trying new things (especially food), hoping to one day set foot on every continent on Earth. She dreamed of building a life with her partner, Makena. Sadly, this was all dealt a serious blow in June of 2022, when at the age of 19, Haley was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Through the next 17 months we did everything we could to make the most out of life, cramming in as much love and life as possible in what we knew was likely a limited time. This included crossing off items big and small on Haley’s Bucket List, including a family trip to Disneyland, and culminating in Haley and Mak’s dream trip to Hawaii, with a visit to Makena Beach, Mak’s namesake. Shortly after this last glorious trip, on October 27th 2023 at the age of 20, Haley passed away peacefully in hospice care while we held her hands.

During our family’s journey with cancer, I discovered a new passion in the martial art of historical Italian longsword fencing. This new hobby became therapeutic for me, and got me through many hard times since Haley’s diagnosis. In addition to the fun activity itself, at my sword school, Academie Duello, I found an amazing community of fun, caring, and supportive people. It was also at Academie Duello that I found out about the Beat the Crap Out of Cancer fundraiser, which seemed the most serendipitous way to mix my passion for sword fighting with supporting cancer research.

Please consider making a donation. With your help, BC Cancer can continue its vital work to break down this deadly disease, and perhaps one day no more lives like Haley's will be tragically cut short.

If you would like to come and watch my team and others Beat the Crap Out of Cancer (and each other - friendly-like), you are welcome to come down to Academie Duello in Vancouver on November 10th! The event organizers request a minimum $10 per person donation for spectators, all of which goes to the BC Cancer Foundation.

If you would like to further cheer on and support our team, consider wearing something purple or rainbow in honour of Haley! Haley's favourite colour was purple, and she loved violets and rainbows, and was a proud member of the LGBTQ community.