Hikers and bikers raise funds for Stedman Community Hospice

Participants in the 19^th annual Hike or Bike for Hospice used markers to fill in space on the backs of their T-shirts with the name of a lost loved one.

“I’m Hiking For Grandma,” said some. Other honored moms, dads, sisters, uncles and friends. Some hikers listed so many people there wasn’t enough room to fit them all in.

Many of the people listed spent their last days in care at Stedman Community Hospice.

“Having my work family look after my home family was very comforting,” said Josie Lopes, a clinical practice and learning specialist at the hospice whose grandfather, Manuel Mesquita, was there until his death from cancer on April 1. “It was lovely. We couldn’t have asked for a better two months.”

More than 400 participants walked and cycled on Sunday to raise funds for the Stedman Hospice. Although the final tally hasn’t yet come in, Julie Powell, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Lifecare Foundation and the event organizer, said about 100 more people pre-registered than last year when about $190,000 was raised.

“It’s one of our largest fundraisers,” said Powell. “It provides funding for things like frontline nursing care, new beds, even food. It’s very crucial to ensure families never have to pay a bill for care.”

The Stedman Hospice, which has 10 beds, opened in 2004. Over the past 19 years, about 2,050 people received care at the hospice or from hospice staff who came to their homes. All of their names were printed on banners lining the roadway where participants started their hike.

They walked routes of one, three and five kilometers in the neighborhood of the Gray Street hospice and St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre. Cyclists started a bit earlier, riding an 18-kiometer route they could finish in time to join hikers for lunch on the St. Joseph’s grounds.

It was an emotional day for Michelle Sousa whose mother, Deborah Armstrong, was at Stedman Hospice for four months before her death from cancer in June 2018.

Sousa and her husband Adam held their wedding ceremony in the hospice garden in May of that year so her mother could attend.

“They have such an amazing staff,” said Sousa. “Families can spend time together and it doesn’t feel like you’re in a hospital.”

Sousa and her family have participated in the hike for three years, raising more than $12,000.

The community’s financial support is essential, said Powell. It costs about $3.1 million a year to operate the hospice, with $1.8 million coming from the provincial government and the rest from donations.

Brantford marathoner Krista Duchene, an Olympian who has completed all six World Marathon Majors, placing third in the Boston Marathon in 2018, led participants in a short pre-hike warm-up.

“This is very special and meaningful to me,” said Duchene whose parents both received hospice care. “Until you’ve had a personal experience with hospice care, you don’t quite understand. They provide a feeling like you’re at home at such a difficult time.”