In November 2000, my 18-year-old daughter Meagan Rodger lost her battle against stage 4 epithelial ovarian cancer.
Meagan was my youngest daughter, our sunshine girl. She was full of life and love, making the most of every day. Meagan was dealt an enormous challenge - the diagnosis of ovarian cancer was sudden and brutal. It attacked her relentlessly until it finally took her life after five short months.
Meagan had big plans for the future - one of the many things she aspired to do was to become a kindergarten teacher. She was determined to make a difference in people's lives. It is so painful to think that she was not able to even graduate from high school.
We all prayed for a cure for our beautiful girl but it was not to be. Despite surgery and chemotherapy there was never a remission. She suffered from terrible pain, she lost her hair and had severe side effects from the chemotherapy treatment but through it all fought her battle with grace and dignity. She had amazing strength and courage. She always held onto hope despite very bleak odds.
In memory of Meagan, I will be riding my bike this September from Ottawa to Toronto. This ride has two purposes:
To our family, Meagan will always be that beautiful young girl, our wonderful daughter, sister and friend. I don't want another woman to have to fight this disease. I hope you help me to go the extra mile and support Miles For Meagan.
Sincerely,
Michael Rodger
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