David Maginley

Why I ride

Why I Ride

I’ve spent the past 25 years walking alongside people facing cancer—bearing witness to their courage, heartbreak, humour, and resilience. As a chaplain and psychospiritual specialist, I’ve sat at thousands of bedsides, often in silence, sometimes in prayer, always in awe. I’ve learned that cancer doesn’t just happen to the body. It reshapes identity, meaning, relationships—and occasionally, one’s hairstyle choices in defiant protest.

Then, of course, there’s the other side of the bed.

Having survived cancer four times myself, I’ve lived the experience from both angles. I knew the hospital corridors, the vocabulary, the statistics. I also knew I had a remarkable team of experts treating me—oncologists, surgeons, nurses, radiologists, all working together to save my life. What I didn’t fully grasp until much later was that behind them stood an invisible team even larger: donors, advocates, researchers, and fundraisers. People I’d never meet—people like you—whose generosity made those treatments possible in the first place.

So this fall, I’m riding 50 kilometres in the Ride for Cancer, not just to raise money, but to raise awareness of this vast and vital human network. A network of people who show up, dig deep, and quietly make miracles happen.

Also, I finally have a bike that fits. At 6’8”, my previous rides looked more like tricycles designed for circus bears. This one actually fits my frame—and dare I say, my ego a little too. It’s sleek, efficient, and just intimidating enough to distract from the fact that I will likely still be passed by retirees on e-bikes with baskets full of fresh Nova Scotia produce.

But seriously, every kilometre I pedal is a prayer—for those in treatment, those in grief, and those in remission. It’s a meditation on the human spirit, and a small offering in the face of a disease that still touches far too many lives.

And here’s where you come in.

Your donation doesn’t just help fund research. It helps create breakthroughs. It helps ensure someone gets to hear, “It’s gone.” It helps families stay whole. It reminds us that in a world often divided, there’s still a deep current of compassion running quietly underneath it all.

So thank you—for riding with me in spirit, for being part of this sacred network, and for believing that we can change the story of cancer together.

If you haven’t had the chance yet, I warmly invite you to support this journey. Whether it’s $10 or $100, every gift rides further than you know.

Together, we are the difference.

With gratitude and sore thighs,
David Maginley

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