Terry Mudryk is an extremely proud mother.
ìI can remember the day when (my son) Bryan and I left hospital after he received his bone marrow transplant. Heís six-foot-one, so heís tall. When I say he was 139 pounds, youíll know he was frail. He had a cap on his head because he had lost all his hair and he was cold.
ìWhile I was pushing him in his wheelchair outside the building, he asked me to stop. He stood up and turned around. He looked at the hospital and he said to me, ëMom, one day Iím going to give back $1 million.í I supported him Ö as a mother, you need to support your children Ö I told him Iíd help him do it, but I asked myself just how in the world would we be able to raise a million dollars?
ìThis year, weíve made our million,î Terry said with pride last Saturday in Boyle at the 11th Annual Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. ìThis is a very profound moment. It took us 11 years, but weíve done it.î
Terry said funds raised already total more than $1,050,000, and donations are still being counted.
While the golf tournament is the focal point of the event, organizers began to hold smaller sub-events in Edmonton for two weeks prior. There was a pub night, a stair-walking challenge, a sponsored bike ride from Edmonton to Waskatenau, and a boat-paddling challenge. During the day of the golf classic, funds were raised from green fees, the celebrity auction, two other auctions and a golf ball drop where the winner received a $4,500 golf vacation of a lifetime.
Bryan Mudryk has survived and conquered two battles against cancer. He first battled the disease at 18, when a tumor that was revealed to be Hodgkinís lymphoma was discovered between his lungs. Due to the location of the tumor, it could not be removed. Treatment successfully shrank the tumor, but cancer returned a year later. In order to beat the disease for good, Bryan required a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy and other trial medication.
Bryanís life post-cancer has been a series of success stories. After completing the radio and television program at NAIT, he moved on to be a weatherman in Lloydminster. That experience led to jobs at CTV and A-Channel in Edmonton. In 2006, Bryan was hired by national broadcaster TSN as a weekend sports anchor. Since then, Bryan has also become the play-by-play voice for curling in Canada, commenting on events including the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
None of this would have been possible without the work of the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.
ìI owe my life to the doctors, nurses and volunteers who save thousands of lives annually there,î he said.
In 2003, Bryan, Terry and members of the their extended family began to work towards the dream of raising a million. Terry said $30,000 was raised during the first year of the Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic, held at the Skeleton Lake Golf and Country Club in the familyís hometown of Boyle. Since then, amounts raised have doubled and tripled each year.
ìThis year, weíll raise more than we did in 2012, which was $211,000,î said Terry. ìThis is not just an event for Boyle anymore, or even an Alberta event. This has become a national event. Weíre so thankful to all of those who have come on this journey with us.î
When Mudryk suggests this is a Canadian event, she is correct, explained Charissa Spencer, special events manager for the Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF). Spencer said money raised at events like the Mudryk Golf Classic brings in researchers to Edmonton from around the world.
ìThe work going on in Edmonton is cutting-edge. Not only is the research completed in Edmonton shared locally between different types of cancer specialists, but researchers from around the world are joining the team at the Cross because support for research is so strong here.
ìThere are 450 fundraising events held in Alberta during summer,î said Spencer. ìOur organization survives because of people like Bryan and Terry. Without them, weíre nothing.î
Spencer explained that money from the Murdyk event will be used towards the development of a microscope that will allow researchers to observe the success of a new treatment that has been developed in Edmonton.
ìWeíre working with Nikon in developing 3D imaging technology that is the first of its kind in the world.î
Dr. John Lewis is a leading prostate cancer researcher in Edmonton. He is developing a drug that can halt the movement of cancer cells. The new treatment acts like a glue for tumors, preventing diseased cells from breaking off and spreading throughout the body. This could greatly increase the rate of successful treatment as it will isolate the cancer.
ìResearchers are still developing the drugs and are currently testing it on chicken embryos. Early signs are incredibly encouraging,î said Spencer.
ìDr. Lewis and his research team need the microscope so they can track cancer cell development and movement at the molecular level in real-time. By doing this, he can fully understand if treatment to keep cancer cells from spreading is successful.î
Spencer added that the microscope will cost $750,000 to develop. Money from the Mudryk event will go primarily towards completing payment on the device. Doctors at the institute hope to have the microscope purchased before the end of summer.
Those interested in donating to cancer research projects in Alberta are encouraged to contact the Alberta Cancer Foundation at their website: www.albertacancer.ca.
