“I’m all about hope, I’m all about faith and I’m all about attitude.”
Those words sum up Gary Jones’ way of life.
Even after cycling from Corner Brook to South Brook and clocking approximately 185 kilometres, Mr. Jones is all smiles and in great spirits.
Mr. Jones is a thyroid cancer survivor and is biking across Canada to raise awareness and money for research. On August 17 he and his son-in-law, Brian, were in South Brook as they pedal their way across the island and finish Mr. Jones’ journey.
In 1997, Mr. Jones had half of his thyroid removed and found out he had Follicular Carcinoma of Thyroid or cancer of the thyroid. He then had the remainder of his thyroid removed and underwent radioactive iodine therapy.
Because of the cancer and its rigourous treatments, he takes replacement pills for the thyroid.
On his blog, Mr. Jones stated: “raising funds for the Cancer Society is my ultimate goal. I am a cancer survivor and feel it’s my duty to help others.”
“I turned 65 in December and I retired January 1 of this year,” he said. “For quite a few years I’ve been thinking that I wanted to do something to give back a little bit because I’m a survivor.”
Cancer runs deep in Mr. Jones’ family, his father and sister both died from it.
Since his retirement as a long haul trucker, Mr. Jones has been working full-time raising money, making arrangements, getting his blog up and going and training.
“I could say I’m a part-time athlete, because I’m a runner and do triathlons and bike a lot. I knew that by biking it would be the smartest thing and the easiest thing for me to do to cover the whole country,” he said.
On May 15, Mr. Jones started his cycling mission on the west coast of Canada by dipping his bike in the Pacific Ocean at Mile Zero in Victoria, BC. By the time his cycling journey ends, he will have biked coast to coast.
“Right from Victoria, British Columbia, to South Brook, it has been awesome. Everything’s been 100 per cent positive, everybody has a big smile on their face and I’m received warmly,” said Mr. Jones.
Although Mr. Jones downsized his wheels from 22 to two, he hasn’t downsized his hope or vision.
To date, Mr. Jones has raised over $30,000 on his journey, which is $10,000 more than his set goal. On his first two days in Newfoundland and Labrador Mr. Jones received donations that totaled $1,000, which he expressed his gratitude for.
“It’s amazing you know, there hasn’t been once place [in Newfoundland and Labrador] we’re I’ve stopped where people haven’t been smiling and laughing. They’re so warm. Just loving people,” he said.
Having completed his journey from Victoria to Halifax solo, Mr. Jones brought his son-in-law, Brian, along for the Newfoundland leg of the ride. Already a cycler himself, Brian mirrors Mr. Jones’ positive attitude and drive for charity.
“I guess you could only call it an inspiration. I hope when I’m 65 I can do the same thing.”
Brian also commented on the reception he and Mr. Jones have been getting while in Newfoundland.
“It’s amazing. Everybody knew that anyway, that Newfoundlanders are amazing people,” said Brian. “And, the drivers are very courteous to the bikes; they give us lots of room.
And maintaining a close relationship with family is just as important to Mr. Jones as raising money for cancer research.
“My daughter April and my wife Faye, have been right there with me, but Christina has been in the forefront and she’s doing an awesome job,” said Mr. Jones. “At the end of every evening I call her and I let her know what happened and what’s going on and she puts it all together and puts it on the blog in the morning.
“It’s all about working hard and struggling, but when we’re going down-hill, we’re having a good day.”
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