Carol Mifsud is hoping her participation in the Ride to Conquer Cancer will motivate others to get involved in the fundraiser.
“If I can do it, anyone can do it,” the 51-year-old Erin resident told the Advertiser.
“It’s achievable and I think it’s achievable for everyone.”
Alongside her husband Battista Vendittelli, Mifsud cycled close to 170km in two days during the annual trek from Toronto to Niagara Falls, which benefits the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
“There were people there worse off than me,” said Mifsud, adding an 86-year-old blind man was among the 5,212 riders who raised more than $20 million.
A beginner cyclist with stage four cancer, Mifsud has days when she struggles just to get out of bed – which makes her achievement all the more impressive.
“It’s an amazing feeling of achievement,” she said.
As in life, there were several bumps along the way.
Mifsud was unable to complete the entire 200km ride due to exhaustion and dehydration, coming 20km short of 100km on day one and 14km short on day two.
“The first day I had to stop because I couldn’t feel my legs anymore,” she said, noting there was “horrible” weather for much of the ride, and she fell three times during the event.
But she didn’t let any of that get in her way.
“You have to think of what you’ve gone through already and dust yourself off and keep going,” said Mifsud.
She was also motivated along the way by photos of friends and family members who have died of cancer, which she carried with her on her bike.
“On the other side of the paper facing me was a picture of my kids. I rode for the past and the future,” said Mifsud.
“On my sleeve I wrote two additional names. Mine and a friend named Carlotta. We are both still fighting.”
Mifsud and Vendittelli each raised close to $3,000 for the cause, surpassing their original goals by $500.
A Princess Margaret patient herself, Mifsud is happy most of the money raised will go directly to cancer research.
“It was my way of giving back,” she said of the ride, noting 40% of people will have cancer at some point in their life.
“That’s another reason to ride … For our kids, we need to figure it out (what causes cancer).”
For Mifsud, a mother of three, stepmother to three more and a grandmother to two, family is of paramount importance – now more than ever.
After two surgeries, two rounds of radioactive iodine therapy and almost 30 doses of radiation (23 to her chest and five to her skull), Mifsud’s family was understandably concerned when she announced her intention to participate in this year’s Ride to Conquer Cancer.
“We were all very skeptical,” daughter Elizabeth Mifsud said, noting family members suggested perhaps volunteering at the event might be a better idea.
“Of course she wouldn’t hear any of that … She’s stubborn and committed – and very strong,” said Elizabeth, who along with her siblings was there to congratulate her mother at the end of the ride.
“Obviously that’s an amazing accomplishment. It’s very inspiring,” Elizabeth said.
Vendittelli, an avid cyclist who had completed the ride twice before, was also skeptical of Mifsud’s participation, given the race can take a physical toll on even the most dedicated athlete.
“I supported her in her attempt to do it,” Vendittelli said. “The fact she did what she did blew me away … it was hard to believe.”
He explained the four-plus years since Mifsud’s original diagnosis with thyroid cancer has been tough on the whole family, notably the 2011 revelation that her cancer was terminal.
“It’s changed us completely,” he said. “What you think is important – it really isn’t … so you just take it one day at a time, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.”
Mifsud, who quit working as a registered nurse several years ago to concentrate on her health and her family, also remains remarkably upbeat.
“I literally take every day as it comes,” she said.
“Knowing you’re dying is extremely difficult. You have to make a choice to be happy … You can either be better or bitter – I try to be better.”
Guided by that approach, Mifsud seems to exude a calm and harmonious outlook, refusing to let the bigger picture interfere with the everyday moments, and vice versa.
“If I could leave a legacy, it would be to try to do something nice every day. There’s not enough of that in the world,” she said.
Mifsud is setting a fine example in that regard, as both her and Vendittelli have already signed up for next year’s Ride to Conquer Cancer, inspiring others to pledge their support.
“You can’t just sit back and do nothing,” Mifsud said, noting everyone is touched by cancer in some way.
“I just seize every opportunity and try to make the best of it.”
For more information on the 2015 ride to Conquer Cancer or to make a donation, visit www.conquercancer.ca.
