On Sunday, over 50 paddlers joined in the third annual Kayak For The Cure Event held on Go Home Lake, raising over $30,000 for cancer research.
The annual Kayak For The Cure took place this past Sunday on Go Home Lake in the Muskoka region.
For the third year in a row, paddlers took to the water to join event founder, kindergarten teacher and mom of three, Laura Fletcher Hughes, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. That year, while undergoing chemotherapy, she felt a need to give back to the system who had helped her when she was most vulnerable and afraid. She signed up to do the CIBC Run For The Cure but ultimately decided that she needed to escape to the quiet and warmth of her cottage community.
“I didn’t want to leave the house,” says Hughes, founder of Kayak For The Cure. “I was bald from the treatment and at a very low point. My friend encouraged me to create my own version of Run For The Cure and spend the day in the place that brings me the most joy: being in a kayak, on the water with my cottage friends and my family surrounding me.
That’s how Kayak For The Cure was born and this year was the best yet.”
After her diagnosis, Hughes quickly became a patient advocate, learning more about the nuances of breast cancer and its various treatments and outcomes. This advocacy ignited her passion to raise funds to help the Canadian Cancer Society advance life-saving research, advocate for meaningful public policy, and provide a strong national support network for Canadians affected by breast cancer.
“This year we had over 50 paddlers join us and raised over $30,000,” says Hughes. “But it’s so much more than that. It’s about coming together as a community to support one another – everyone has been affected by cancer in some way; everyone has a story to tell. I think we’re on to something here and I hope that other lakes will join in and create their own Kayak For The Cure event. I really want this to spread.”
Three years ago, Hughes chose a kayak over a starting line, trading a traditional fundraising run for the place that brought her comfort during treatment. Today, that decision has evolved into a thriving annual event that unites a community, raises critical funds for cancer research, and supports those whose lives have been touched by cancer.
To donate to the Kayak For The Cure and learn more about the event, please visit https://support.cancer.ca/site/TR/?pg=team&team_id=550914&fr_id=31099
