Young cancer victim’s life lives on at Skate the Lake
Posted Jan 22, 2016 5:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
McKenzie Lake will likely see a massive influx of skaters this weekend because of a young boy who lost his life to cancer.
Jordan Feradi passed away at the age of just eight years old in 2012, after a diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, an inoperable malignant tumour.
After seeing Jordan’s fight and that of other children battling brain cancer, his family founded the Canadian Children’s Brain Cancer Foundation, aimed at raising funds for medical research to find a cure.
This Sunday is the first Skate the Lake in Feradi’s memory, with a goal of getting 500 people to come out.
Someone who will be there for certain is 11-year-old Mason Rockley.
“Jordan was one of my closest friends, he was an amazing athlete, a great hockey player and an overall just amazing person and a great friend,” Rockley said, remembering playing Timbits hockey with Feradi.
Fellow friend and teammate 11-year-old Calvin Dezainde echoed the sentiment.
“He was a great athlete, great friend, we always played shinny and got to play Timbits with him and he was just a great overall person,” he said.
For Feradi’s father John, the support has been overwhelming.
“These kids I’ve known them since they were five years old, so they’re almost like my own kids,” he said. “They’re carrying Jordan’s legacy and the support from the community, particularly the Bow Valley Hockey Society, it’s been a real comforting thing for our family.”
Feradi admits there’s a long way to go to find a cure, but added in the last five years alone he’s seen first-hand how far researchers have come.
“We’re starting to find out why these cancer cells mutate, so I’m very hopeful,” he said. “The only thing we’re missing is these guys need funds to advance their medical research and the neat part about our foundation is we can take the money we raise and we’re going to hand deliver and give it right to a researcher, put it to work right away.”
Members of the Calgary Hitmen will also be in attendance. The event goes from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to the community.
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