We would have liked to begin by saying this event was initiated by a more pleasant reason, but that is not the case.

Cancer is the reason and thus not a happy one.

One September 4, 2008, my mother, Barb MacInnes, lost a short and painfully battle with bone cancer at the age of 66.  Everyone said she lived a great life, but for our family, it may have been so, but far too short.

For anyone who has had to deal with an unexpected tragedy, you know the feeling: a feeling of loss and of why did it happen to you.  That is the way we feel and there is little we can do about it.

For quite some time, we have gone through life, like many do, worrying about day to day problems and not realizing how lucky we truly were.  Before her diagnoses, we had little to worry about, as no tragic events had touched our lives.  Unfortunately, like so many other people, Cancer reared its ugly head and shattered our world.  Now our whole family has changed and the once tranquil state of being and normalcy has abruptly ended and been replaced with grief, anxiety and a state of confusion.

We remember vividly standing by and watching her pass; painfully so, with nothing to do for her except wait.  Watching our father lose the best friend he had for 42 years and knowing that his life will never be the same and that there is little we can do for him either.  My sister losing a mother and a relationship that most mothers and daughters strived to have.  Knowing my wife Cindy had lost a mother-in-law that truly loved her and was willing to share so much, whether it be a great recipe or an embarrassing story that could be used against me.  And all caused by one thing – Cancer.

Our mother was always one to find a way to make a situation better and so, in her memory and honor, my wife and I are trying to follow her footsteps.

For awhile now, I have been swept up in the Poker phenomena, being drawn to both the theory and the competitive side of the game.  In the beginning, I studied it as much as I could; reading books, watching TV and playing online.  One author that captured the way I thought about the game was Phil Gordon, a professional player from Las Vegas.  I read both his books (Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book and Little Blue Book) and my game improved immensely.  Even Phil’s life was interesting and how his road to poker began and unfolded.

One evening, after the time mom was diagnosed, I was having one of those moments when coping with the reality wasn’t going well.  I needed to vent my frustration, my sadness, my guilt and I remembered that there was someone who had gone through the same thing.  I sat in front of my computer and typed an email full of rambling and confusing thoughts and sent it off into cyberspace.  If anything, it was somewhat therapeutic just to get it off my chest.

I’m not “wowed” easily as I know that a lot of celebrities are just as normal as you or I, but I was pleasantly surprised when I received a lengthy response to my email.  Phil Gordon had taken time to share with me how he dealt with the passing of his Great Aunt (due to Cancer) and what to do to make my mom’s remaining time as pleasant as possible.  Unbeknownst to all, this was the seed for something to come.
Over the next few months after mom had passed, my wife and I got to thinking of what we could do to better our lives; give back so to speak.  Mom was always one who volunteered her time, whether it was the town library, the Canadian Cancer Society or a town charity that needed a hand.  We got to thinking about a charity poker tournament, one that could be attended by local Calgarians to raise money for the fight against Cancer.

One phone call led to another and eventually we had started down the path to raise money for the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Calgary and other centers throughout Alberta.  One special phone call lead to assistance from the Prevent Cancer Foundation and confirmation that Phil Gordon would come to Calgary and be the master of ceremony for our event.  In addition, he and several of his professional colleagues would also be in attendance and provide free lessons for those attending.

We hope that this event will help in the fight against Cancer.  We realize there are many great charities available to choose from, but would like to think that this is something that is unique and appeals to those that would otherwise not participate in mainstream charity events.

In memory of our mother, thank you for your support
– Dru and Cindy MacInnes

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While I was at work one afternoon, I received a call from Dru. . . He shared how he recently lost a family member to cancer and wanted to somehow give back. While he and his wife, Cindy, were watching “Stand Up for Cancer”, he got an idea as to how they could give back. I met Dru early the following week to talk about his idea – and what a great one it was: “I’m All in Against Cancer” is a poker tournament that will be held at the Stampede Casino on May 24, 2009. They already have some special guests confirmed, including Phil Gordon and a few of his poker friends.

 

Meeting great people like Dru and Cindy and getting to hear why they are doing this fundraiser for the Alberta Cancer Foundation makes me happy coming to work everyday. Over the last few months, we have been busy planning the first annual “I’m All in Against Cancer” poker tournament. Along the way, we have met some great people who have come on board to make this event a success: Colin Pope, at the Stampede Casino, has been great to us and we are very happy to be holding this event there. We also have met a very talented man by the name of Marshall Stevenson who has created our website and done all of the design work.

People ask me all the time why I do this type of work. My answer is simple: I enjoy communicating with people, I enjoy giving back to my community and stories like Dru and Cindy’s gives me my motivation to help them meet their fundraising goals. Just like everyone out there, I too have family and friends who have battled through their own cancer journey. I am happy to know that the money raised will stay right here in our province to support cancer research and make a difference in the lives of our patients and families.

At the Alberta Cancer Foundation, we have a Vision that we are all working towards – a cancer free future. We have very aggressive goals for 2025: to reduce the incidence of new cancers by 35 per cent, reduce deaths due to cancer by 50 per cent, and eliminate suffering in every way possible for those Albertans living with cancer.

Thank you for doing your part!
- Jason Lyver, Alberta Cancer Foundation