A Fergus cancer sufferer was inspired by the fight a Salem Public School student picked with cancer and joined her campaign, pledging to match her $3,000 donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Keith Drinkwater, former president of the Fergus Highland Rugby Football Club, said he was reading the April 17 Advertiser and saw the story about MJ McDonald’s fundraising campaign.
“Here’s a six-year-old that is raising … $2,000 and I’m like ‘that puts me to shame,’” Drinkwater said.
“I was really inspired by it and I was like ‘I’ve got to do something’ … I didn’t sleep I couldn’t think straight, I’ve just got to do something to help her and just giving her a donation isn’t enough.”
He decided he would match the actual amount of funds raised by McDonald – about $3,000 – and if the goal is reached he will shave his head at the rugby club’s senior men’s home opener on May 23.
“I just contacted a couple of the members of the club and just said ‘what do you think? Is this a possibility?’ And they said, ‘Yeah yeah great, we’ll get right on it,’” Drinkwater explained. “And they’ve (run with it) literally, in multiple directions.”
Rugby club representative Morganne Linthwaite said, “When some of the old members of the club mentioned at a meeting that he was undergoing treatment himself and felt really inspired by this young girl’s story and asked us to do something we were all okay with doing that … I think it’s one of the first (charitable foundation donations) I think we’ve done large scale.”
Drinkwater has been suffering with multiple melanoma, a form of skin cancer, for over eight months and even though he’s part of a clinical trial that is incapacitating at times, he said McDonald showed him that bringing awareness to the disease and helping others is worth his time.
“She has gotten into my head and into my heart,” he said. “She has brought this passion out in me to do something that, under the current circumstances, I don’t have any energy to do anything right now, but I’m just doing what needs to be done and enjoying every minute of it.”
Before April 26 Drinkwater and McDonald had never met.
“MJ’s parents invited my wife and I over to meet her on Sunday night so I got to meet her and talk to her and was even more inspired because just the way she thinks,” he said.
“It’s not just about raising money to help she’s really serious about raising awareness, she wants to motivate other people.”
McDonald’s campaign concluded on April 29 when she cut off her hair in front of Salem Public School for a wig for cancer sufferers. One of her fundraising efforts included making 100 bracelets, with the help of her family, to give out at a Guelph craft show. Though the bracelets were free, McDonald raised about $180 in donations. She also made a special bracelet for Drinkwater that reads, “I believe in you.”
“She truly believes that she wants to not just raise the money but motivate other people and that’s what really kind of got me going is the fact that that’s what she’s done for me,” he said. “She’s become my motivation to do this and now that’s part of my goal is to try and motivate others.”
McDonald will be at the May 23 (at 3pm) home opener rugby game to do the honours of shaving Drinkwater’s head. To attend the game there will likely be a minimum donation of $2 asked of spectators, with all the proceeds going to Drinkwater’s efforts.
Once his campaign is complete, Drinkwater said he will give the proceeds to McDonald so she can donate it to the Canadian Cancer Society.
To make a donation to help Drinkwater reach his goal visit https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/cancer-society-via-drinkwater-inspiring-girl.
