Kids Cancer Care Ride of Courage sees family return every year to give back

(Courtesy Radu family)

A decade into taking part in the Kids Cancer Care Ride of Courage, Richard Radu says it’s still a tough undertaking.

Richard says, though, he keeps something extra “in his back pocket” to remind him why he does this, year after year.

He says “all the kids who are battling cancer, and my son, who did battle it,” are what allows him “that little extra boost to get me over the top.”

July 10 to 12, cyclists will take to the Alberta foothills, testing their endurance for the cause on either a three-day, two-day or one-day journey.

Dollars raised send kids affected by cancer to Kids Cancer Care’s Camp Kindle in Water Valley, Alta.

Richard’s son, Stephen, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2006, at 13 years old.

That’s also when the Radu family first encountered Kids Cancer Care.

“We wound up at the Stollery in Edmonton and we found out there are so many good supports available for us,” Richard said.

“We were in the hospital for 204 days between Calgary and Edmonton.”

Several years later, Stephen approached his family, looking to give back to the organization that gave him so much.

“I wanted to be a part of it,” he said.

Stephen was an ambassador rider, using a recumbent bicycle and travelling roughly 25 kilometres one year, but found a way of giving back in another crucial way.

“I’ve spent more time volunteering,” he said.

“(I came back) volunteering the year after and the year after.”

Then in 2016, to honour the 10-year anniversary of Stephen’s diagnosis, Richard decided to take a crack at cycling in the Ride of Courage.

“I’ve been riding ever since,” he said.

Richard says the Ride of Courage is “a challenge,” but everyone who does it is connected by the cause.

“The best part of the three-day ride and the two-day ride is you get to stay at Camp Kindle,” he said.

“That’s a special place; it’s got such a cool vibe and a healing aura around it.”

Stephen says volunteers need as much backup as they can get.

He encourages anyone willing and able to volunteer.

“The riders appreciate so much what it is we’re doing for them,” he said.

Information on how to fundraise for or donate to the 2026 Ride of Courage, as well as volunteer opportunities, is available at kidscancercare.ab.ca.

The tour of the foothills includes accommodations, meals, a jersey and more, Kids Cancer Care said.