One of Drumheller’s native sons is coming home for Canada Day, and while he is here, he hopes to make a difference for cancer patients locally.
Jaydee Bixby and members of his family will be headlining the Canada Day celebration in Drumheller and he is excited to be coming for the concert.
“We are looking forward to it,” Bixby tells The Mail. “We are also playing Hand Hills Stampede. It is really important for us to be there.”
On top of this performance, he is planning a cancer fundraiser and awareness event called “River Float for Cancer.”
“I have been involved with many different cancer fundraisers myself, but I have never been involved in organizing one,” Bixby tells The Mail.
He has been in contact with Betty Farmer who is helping with the logistics of creating the event.
Like many people, his life has been touched by cancer.
“I lost my grandparents to cancer, my big sister has had cancer before and my dad is going through a bout right now,” said Bixby.
On July 2, he said he is planning to cast off from Nacmine with as many floaters on tubes or rafts as possible, with a vision of filling the river.
“I spent a lot of my childhood swimming in that river, whether it was Newcastle Beach or just below the North Drumheller bridge. That’s where I learned to swim,” said Bixby. “I’ve done walks for the cure, but I have never actually heard of floating for the cure.”
He is hoping to raise some funds along the way, and to use them to support cancer treatment and patient care in Drumheller. He personally knows people in the valley who often have to go to larger centres to receive treatment. This is time consuming and expensive for the patient and families.
“If we can keep people in their hometown, that is just a small thing that we can look at doing,” he said. “I think this is something we can get the whole town behind.”
Just as important as funds is awareness.
“They don’t have to donate large amounts of money to make a difference, just being open to talk freely about it - how cancer affects everybody. Big, small, it doesn’t matter who you are. This is something I am passionate about.”
To learn more about the regatta, or to get involved, check out the Facebook page “Drumheller’s First River Float For Cancer.”
