Who among us has the exceptional good fortune of not knowing a single person touched by cancer?

Sadly, we all know someone who has succumbed to this vile, indiscriminant scourge. Increasingly, however, we also know survivors.

Our growing knowledge of the disease, coupled with our detection and treatment regimes are allowing us to fight back and win.

We will cure cancer. Just as surely as we split the atom, walked on the moon and mapped the genome, we will find a cure for cancer.

Fundamentally, it’s a question of time and money. But like all great scientific triumphs, we will prevail because of the tireless efforts of an army of dedicated people who refuse to take no for an answer.

People like Paul Throop.

He is known to a legion of friends and admirers across Canada and around the world simply as "Boomer". He is one of those tenaciously dedicated people driven by the desire to make a difference in everything he does.

He plans to make his difference by raising money for cancer research. He is going to do that by devoting the next 16 months of his life to cycling around the world. It’s a 29,000 kilometer trek, and he wants a pledge of a penny / km from as many people as possible.

It’s an ambitious undertaking. So is finding a cure for cancer.