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Walk in Duhacek's shoes to help bury cancer By Nathan Howes SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Walk a kilometre in this man's shoes and you may end up walking to Ottawa. The shoes belong to 36-year-old Mike Duhacek, who is pulling a sled to the nation's capital to bury cancer one step at a time. Last Thursday, Duhacek reached the halfway mark of his one-million-step journey upon his arrival in Oakville at the Halton Regional Centre. He was greeted by friends, family and coworkers as he pulled in, dragging the 125pound sled carrying the word "cancer" made from wooden blocks. "It's been an amazing experience. It's overwhelming how many people who've come up (to me) and offered their support. It's something I will remember for the rest of my life," said Duhacek, who works in support services for Halton Regional Police. "It will give me that morale boost to keep going on to Ottawa (to) bury these letters." At police headquarters, Duhacek was greeted by an entourage of police personnel, from tactical officers to the top brass. Duhacek, of Milton, began his 900-kilometre trek at the University of Windsor Feb. 4 to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). He is walking more than 10 steps for each of the 75,700 Canadians who are estimated to die from cancer in 2013, according to CCS. Along his route, Duhacek will have travelled London. But he's prepared to deal with the weather and brought clothing that can handle temperatures as cold as -15 C, he said. "There is one thing that my sled doesn't like and that's slush. The roads were pure slush that day when I was visiting the universities, colleges and police stations," said Duhacek. "It was about 10-12 inches of slush on the roads and it felt like I was pulling a 300pound sled." Pulling a 125-pound aluminum sled "feels good on some days and not so good on other days," he explained, adding slush on the ground makes the sled difficult to pull. "It feels like (it's) 300 to 400 pounds and it's a struggle. It's a heavy sled, but I wanted to make it as much as I could handle to symbolize the burden and struggle people go through," said Duhacek, who walks 10-11 hours a day and travels a distance between 30-50 kilometres, noting it's difficult to know the exact distance because sometimes he stops for several hours. "I could be stopped by media, I could be stopped (for) roadside donations (or) I could be stopped by people who are touched and want to tell me their story. "I never want to pull away from that just to make-up time. I'm happy with the delay (to) spread the word and hear all the stories." As of Feb. 19, Duhacek has raised approximately $31,400 of his $250,000 goal, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, Halton Unit. "If everybody jumps on board and allows me to be their vehicle to cross Ontario, I believe the goal is obtainable," said Duhacek. When Duhacek reaches Ottawa, it's going to be "very satisfying and emotional" when he removes the cancer letters off the sled and buries them, he said. He is going to lie down and relax for a couple of days once he completes his task. "It's a lot of stress on my body and it's a long time away from home. Once that is buried, I'm going to realize what I've done and know we've helped many people in their battles with cancer." To make a donation online or follow Duhacek's journey, visit www.helpmeburycancer.org. Cash or cheque donations can be dropped off to the Canadian Cancer Society Halton Unit 760 Pacific Rd., Unit 7, Oakville, ON, L6L-6M5. If mailing, note Attn: Help Me Bury Cancer. 7 · Wednesday, February 20, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog Pitstopping on home turf: Mike Duhacek and his 125-pound Cancer sled arrive at Halton Regional Building last Thursday (Feb. 14) afternoon. Duhacek is headed to Ottawa on a Help Me Bury Cancer fundraising and awareness mission. through Windsor, London, Waterloo, Kitchener, Oakville, Toronto, Oshawa, Belleville and Kingston before it is anticipated he will arrive in Ottawa on Sunday (Feb. 24) or Monday, Feb. 25. "I'm taking the scenic route (and) stopping at universities, colleges (and) police stations along the way. I'm hoping to pull past the cars to spread the word (so) people go back and see the banners on the support vehicle. They (can) see helpmeburycancer.org is doing this," said Duhacek. The journey holds personal significance for Duhacek. He lost two grandparents to the disease and is now watching his mother endure cancer after she was diagnosed in 2010 at the age of 54. He chose to take on the cross-province adventure in February because it is cold and snowy, Duhacek said, adding he wanted to show the symbolism of the struggle and burden carried -- the sled -- to support cancer patients. "(I'm) showing that you're going to struggle but you're going to persevere. It's all my respect for anybody who is suffering from the disease or any family member who has to watch it because I'm one of those people," said Duhacek. "It's no fun to watch your family member suffer from this disease." While his trek has been "pretty smooth" so far, Duhacek encountered a snowstorm in Let's Play Bingo! DELTA BINGO OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 483 Speers Rd. Oakville,(905) www.deltabingo.com 842-0876