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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, June 4, 2015 | 18 Family physician prepares for his Ride to Conquer Cancer by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Fundraisers such as the Ride to Conquer Cancer give Oakville's Dr. Mervyn Meharchand hope that cancer-related deaths will soon be a thing of the past. Meharchand, a family physician residing in town and practising in Mississauga, will take part in the event from June 13-14 for a second time. The Ride is a two-day, 200-kilometre cycling event from Toronto to Niagara Falls to support the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC). Since 2008, the Ride has raised more than $119 million for the PMCC, one of the top world-class cancer centres. "Research is actually spinning out practical cures. Many cancers are not considered automatic death sentences. People are living with cancer because of things like the Ride and the input that everyone can be involved is generating. It's not just doom-and-gloom," said Meharchand. Many of Meharchand's patients have been impacted by or have cancer. One of them was a 17-year-old with osteosarcoma, but he died less than a year after diagnosis. "You can't be a physician without seeing cancer patients. A lot of them become good friends over the years of treating them. It's sad to see them die from cancer. With medicine, we do all we can of course, (as well as) cancer detection and treatment," said Meharchand. It takes "a lot of capacity" to have compassion and walk partly through the disease with a patient, Meharchand said, as well as maintaining a wider perspective. "It is sad to see people (go through cancer), who otherwise would have been perfectly functioning as parents and children going through see Public on p.19 Pictured, from left, Ken Elliott, a co-founder of the Bloor West Village team stands next to teammate Dr. Mervyn Meharchand of Oakville. They will be riding in the Ride to Conquer Cancer on June 13-14. | submitted photo 10%off All you can EAt Buffet (Lunch or Dinner Tues - Fri) staurant Sweets & Re Same Reliable Owners Clean Each Visit Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products Colour-Coded Cloths Reduce Cross Contamination Enviroshield® Whole Home Disinfecting Strongest Guarantee In The Industry at E n a C u o Y ll A n ia r a t e g e V % 100 ffEt u B a Weekday s o m Sa SpeCiaL LUNCH $1099 (XXX) XXX-XXXX 289.809.9823 localurladdressgoeshere.com Oakville.MaidRight.com 2 /$1 DiNNeR $1199 From 11am-3pm From 5pm-9pm 2345 Trafalgar Road · 905-257-0808 JUNIOR (3YR - 11YR) $8.99 Kids (2YR & Under) $ Free Have a toothache? We can fix that! 330 Dundas St. E. Oakville 905-257-3182 info@klerdental.ca www.klerdental.ca Open evenings & saturdays