Ten-year cancer survivor will get to wear symbolic golden helmet at this years Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, given to those participating for a fifth consecutive year.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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Fabian Huber will be wearing a golden helmet as he takes part in this year’s Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 200 km circuit race between Okotoks and Calgary.
“If you ride in this event for five consecutive years, you get what is called a Golden Helmet,” explains Huber. “Basically, that’s a cycling helmet that is painted gold. It’s just symbolic of the fact you have dedicated five years to the ride.”
Huber himself is a 10-year cancer survivor, diagnosed with Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Sarcoma as a young newlywed.
“The cancer was in my right foot,” recalls Huber. “I think my wife Nikki and I were only married a year when I was diagnosed … I was lucky because I caught it in the early stages; so I had quite a few treatment options to go through instead of just having to take the leg off or something like that.”
Huber went through five years of treatment, surgeries and testing before being declared officially cancer free in 2012. It was not long after that he lost both his father and father-in-law to lung cancer. Huber decided he needed to make a statement in 2013 by going on his first Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.
“I thought I want to do something bigger; make more of a statement kind of thing,” he confirms. “I was just browsing the Internet and by chance that’s when I came across this Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.”
Those taking part in the race must raise a minimum of $2,500 per year. It’s no small commitment, acknowledges Huber, but one he is happy to make.
“Anybody can make a difference,” he says. “I was just an average person that got into cycling. When you survive something like this, it gets you motivated to do anything you can to give back.”
For more information on Fabian Huber’s ongoing efforts to raise money for Enbridge’s Ride to Conquer Cancer visit his race page at conquercancer.ca/goto/fhuber.