By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

10 diagnoses every day

First ever ‘Bike to Beat Myeloma’ happening in Red Deer County this Sunday

May 11, 2022 | 11:00 AM

The first ever Myeloma Canada Ride: Bike to Beat Myeloma is taking place this weekend in three communities, including Red Deer County.

Myeloma is a little known and incurable type of blood cancer, which 10 Canadians are diagnosed with daily.

In addition to Red Deer County, the bike is also taking place in Niagara, Ontario, and Richmond, BC, plus there’s a virtual ride.

Calgary father Scott Beer, who was diagnosed in 2019, is the Alberta ride’s honorary spokesperson.

Beer had taken a fourth trip that year to the ER with excruciating back pain, he says. He had also sought relief previously from chiropractic and physiotherapy treatments, but to no avail.

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After undergoing tests, there were still no definitive answers, until one day, it took the 54-year-old financial professional a half hour to get down the stairs in his home to leave for the hospital.

During his hospital visit, a doctor noticed his extreme weight loss, and a protruded tumour in his abdomen. Further blood tests and x-rays confirmed multiple myeloma.

“Myeloma doesn’t have a cure yet; as my oncologist tells me, it’s not if you’ll relapse, it’s when. Thank goodness there are growing treatment options for patients, our quality of life is better, and our life expectancy is longer,” Beer says. “But we need to keep pushing on it and continue to search for a cure.”

He adds that the diagnosis challenged him physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

In 2020, Beer received a stem cell transplant and has since been in remission. He receives a chemotherapy maintenance drug, however, to keep the disease in check, and has more good days than bad with is wife and two kids.

The ride is happening May 15, starting from the Spruce View Hall (2127, AB-54) at 8:30 a.m. There are two routes, one 35 km and one 75 km (click each distance to see route map).

According to organizers, multiple myeloma has had one of the largest improvements in survival over time compared to other cancers, increasing 23 percentage points since the early 1990s.

“These encouraging changes are greatly achieved due to significant advances in research and treatment,” says Dr Victor Jimenez-Zepeda, a hematologist, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary. “It is critical to keep the momentum going and raise important funds to invest in innovative treatments for improved quality of life and outcomes, and ultimately, a cure for myeloma.”

The local ride has a goal of raising $30,000, with a national goal of $100,000.

More information about participation and how to donate is at myelomaride.ca.