Posted on May 21: Hike raises funds for leukemia research at McMaster

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/foghike.jpg” caption=”Scene from the 2002 hike”]The second annual Friends of Glen (FOG) Hike for Leukemia Research is taking place Sunday, May 25, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. Named for Glen Ferguson, a dedicated and proficient hiker, the hike supports the McMaster University Bone Marrow Transplant/Leukemia Research Fund.

Glen was a leukemia patient at the McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC) in March 2000 when he died, one day before his bone marrow transplant.

Since then, Hope Kamin, his wife, has been gathering friends and hiking the local Bruce Trail in memory of Glen. In 2002, she decided to turn the spring hike into a fundraiser for the Bone Marrow Transplant/Leukemia Research Fund.

The venture was successful. In its inaugural year, the FOG hike attracted 51 participants and earned $13,500. This year, Kamin is looking to expand the hike among the McMaster community.

McMaster University is a renowned centre for bone marrow transplantation and for research into leukemia and other blood disorders. The McMaster University Bone Marrow Transplant/Leukemia Research Fund was established approximately 15 years ago and receives funding entirely through private donations. Since its inception, the FOG hike has become a major contributor to the fund.

The fund provides money for research, patient assistance, staff education, and other activities for which there is no alternative source of funding. For instance, it provides valuable start-up money for projects initiated by researchers at McMaster who then can use the preliminary results when applying for further assistance from government granting agencies.

As well, the fund helps send medical staff to major conferences at which ground-breaking techniques in bone marrow transplantation and other treatments are presented. The information is brought home and used to help patients who come to the McMaster University Medical Centre.

The science of bone marrow transplantation is rapidly evolving and each discovery and innovation in technique means that lives are saved.

The hike takes place along the Bruce Trail in Dundas. Hikers may choose between two routes: a 7-kilometre route or a 4-kilometre route. On both routes, participants will experience the grandeur of the Niagara Escarpment, the Spencer Gorge, Tews Falls, Websters Falls, and Spencer Creek. As well, both routes include the Glen Ferguson Side Trail, generously dedicated in August 2000 by the Iroquoia Club of the Bruce Trail Association in memory of Glen.

People who wish to participate in the FOG hike can register and receive their pledge forms at the FOG web site.