Still reeling from the death of their beloved wife and mother, Anthony DiFruscia and his children have made a sizable contribution to the hospital that helped comfort Sherry DiFruscia during her final pain-filled days. Her death from cancer this summer sparked the DiFruscias’ commitment to help spare other families the same devastating experience.
Anthony, who told the Thorold News “I still feel Sherry’s presence all the time,” had promised his wife of 30 years that he would never forget her.
Expecting to have four or five riders join him in this month’s Big Move Cancer Ride, he was very pleasantly surprised when 26 cyclists pedalled with him under the team name ‘Sherry’s Promise,’ racking up more than $71,000 in pledges.
According to Chris Green, Director of Communications, Marketing & Community Engagement at the Niagara Health Foundation, “Sherry's Promise will likely finish as our top fundraising team this year. Donations are being accepted until the end of October but to date, they have raised over $71,000. The funds raised from the Big Move Cancer Ride and Sherry's Promise will go to support the upgrading of the chemotherapy delivery to patients while increasing the safety of the care team that is providing the treatment. Their support is even more valuable this year as we have seen a number of cancer funding events and programs put on hold due to COVID-19. Cancer treatment does not stop during a pandemic and the patients in Niagara can be confident that there are so many generous people pulling for them.”
The team's contribution was “Such a great memorial for my mother,” said Alisa DiFruscia. “Not only has it made a huge impact on the Walker Family Cancer Center but it’s helped us grieve the biggest loss; turned the most negative thing to ever happen to us into a positive.” She added, “We can't wait for next year; we want this to continue to grow every year and we want to have some fun with it and see the impact of it grow.”
Describing the support to his family as “overwhelming” and “tremendous,” Anthony said, “People’s generosity continues to surprise me. I think that cancer resonates or hits home with far too many people. It’s a horrible disease. It takes so many lives from us. I watched a perfectly healthy person full of energy deteriorate in 20 months. The only thing that I can do today is assist somehow in raising money for the cause. Many who go through these challenges are often older and don’t have the energy to do a lot. As sad as I am to lose Sherry at such a young age, I will take the energy that I still have and put it to as much positive use as possible for as long as possible.”
Anthony hopes to double his team’s size next year.
“My children’s friends were amazing," he said. "The next generation understands the need better than I would have thought. They are far more involved and show way more empathy than I recall at that age. They are so willing to get involved and help; so thoughtful and willing. I love that about them. My kids and their friends will be instrumental in growing this, going forward. We have decided to meet in January to start the planning process to do it bigger and better. I welcome anyone who wants to participate. We had so much fun doing such a great thing for our community. I know how proud Sherry would be of everyone’s accomplishments. That’s a motivation for us in itself.”
Green, who met Sherry at last year’s annual Big Move Cancer Ride, told the Thorold News, “From my limited interactions with her, she was lovely, easy to talk to and was clearly so grateful for her family and was finding the positives in an unfortunate and tragic situation.” He added, “The Sherry's Promise team has been amazing to watch. Their passion, dedication and drive to honour Sherry's wishes has not only been inspiring; it has been proof that even during a pandemic, the community can rally and support such a great memory and cause.”
Anyone wishing to donate can do so until Oct. 31 by visiting the Big Move Cancer Ride, website.
