 |
Roberta Yergens and her dog Kobe have
fundraised $500 for the CIBC Walk for
the Cure.
Photograph by: Don Healy, Regina Leader-Post |
For the first time, the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Walk for the Cure is getting a runner that is cuddly with soft, white fur.
Kobe the bearded Collie is the first animal to be running in and fundraising for the 20th annual run that is to be held in Regina on Sunday.
"My mom's had dogs my whole life and I never really wanted one and my birthday is Dec. 29," said Roberta Yergens, Kobe's owner. "She said she was going to go look at this poor little guy because his owner had passed away with brain cancer and (Kobe had been) kind of been passed around from this place to that place and nobody really wanted to keep him."
Yergens' family has a strong connection to the cancer cause, apart from the dog's previous owner. Her mother's best friend and her grandmother's sister passed away from cancer, as have many other friends and family members.
With Yergens' and Kobe's connections to cancer losses, the motivation to participate in the cancer run was strong.
"This year I decided that my grandmother should come and I'll push her in a wheelchair and Kobe will be on a leash," said Yergens. "There's lots of animals that take the walk, but I think he will be the first to have money."
As of Tuesday, Kobe had raised over $500. He needed to be registered to participate and Yergens said the registration fee is $40, but if over $150 is fundraised, the registration fee is waived. Yergens and her grandmother, Darleen, also had to register and raise their own money.
Between the three of them, they have raised approximately $1,100.
Roberta said Kobe has an instinct of knowing when someone is not feeling well.
"He's almost like a medical dog as well because with his previous owner having brain cancer he would know when he's not feeling good and he does the same thing to me," she said.
"I have post-concussion syndrome and so if I'm not feeling good, if it's my ear or my head, he'll smell that and he'll tell me, 'Well, we need to go have a nap because you're not feeling good.'
"He really does take care of me, so that's nice."
Darleen said she believes in Kobe's medical intuition.
"I think Kobe has done more for her with her syndrome thing than all the medication that they dope her up with," she said.
Roberta said they started fundraising on Kobe's behalf about two months ago by word of mouth. They have received donations ranging from $5 to $100 from people in Alberta all the way to Nova Scotia.
"The one from Alberta was when we were camping one time and they had a pet as well," she said. "So we were just talking about it and they offered to give a donation, which we thought was awesome."
Participants can choose to walk or run one kilometre or five, beginning at the University of Regina or the Conexus Arts Centre, respectively. Prizes will also be given for fundraising efforts.
Yergens participated in last year's walk, which she described as "lots of fun." She is doing the five-kilometre walk like last year and is hoping to complete it in less than an hour with her grandmother and Kobe.
The walk begins at 10 a.m. and is committed to breast cancer research, awareness, and education programs.
Did you know . . .
In 2010, the Walk for the Cure raised $33 million across Canada.
The year 2011 marks the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's 25th anniversary as a prominent leader in research, awarness, and education programs.
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