Skate 4 Cancer wants you to touch yourself (photos)

Six years ago, a young man by the name of Rob Dyer had a vision.

A huge vision.

Having lost his mother, grandparents and a dear friend to cancer, Dyer planned to skateboard from LA to Toronto in order to raise awareness of cancer prevention and honour the passing of his loved ones.

Calling it Skate 4 Cancer, the trek began in March of 2004.

Despite ridicule, injury and adversity, he and and his small team of volunteers completed the skate in July of that same year.

With an iron will, Dyer continues his mission to educate our youth about the importance of healthy living.

He and his Skate 4 Cancer crew stopped in Sault Ste. Marie Thursday evening at the Lock City Grand Theatre on The Cure is Knowledge music tour.

The free event's featured performers included Matthew Johnston, Lives of Others, Elephant and Shad as well as local openers The Scary Uncles and Outspoken with Northern Elite.

The purpose of the show was not to raise money, but to build a community.

"Hopefully kids that support the cause come to the shows will meet each other and go off into the community and continue to work together on this or any cause," explained Dyer Thursday night.

During a 15-minute talk, members of Skate 4 Cancer spoke bluntly and openly to the kids about cervical, testicular and breast cancer, as well as the many forms caused by smoking.

I was particularly impressed by their discussion on what to check for when examining yourself for testicular cancer as well as their demonstration on how to properly conduct a self breast examination.

"80% of cancer is preventable," said Dyer. "We're hoping with this tour to encourage young kids to research more and get checked out more by their doctor and know their body. There are so many things that cause cancer in this world, we just need to make it comfortable to talk about more."

Following this music tour, Dyer plans to skate from Vancouver to Halifax beginning June 21, 2008.

Stopping at schools and hospitals along the way to discuss cancer issues, and skating an average of five to eight hours a day, he projects the journey will extend through to the end of October.

The Skate 4 Cancer cause is sponsored by Element Skateboards who will be releasing a Skate 4 Cancer deck sometime this fall.

To learn more about Skate 4 Cancer, please visit www.skate4cancer.com.

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