Andrew Hopkins Profile
Born: February 15, 1984 in Mississauga Ontario
University: University of Western, 4 year Bachelor of Arts
Interests: Hockey, soccer, running, golfing, squash, fishing, snowboarding, music, and guitar
Aspirations: To follow a life path that I believe in and dedicate myself to everything I do.
Story: Although I have been affected by cancer through various friends and family, there are two people that have had a definite impact on me, the first one being my grandfather, Alfred Hopkins. Alfred was a well-respected Engineer from a small town called Hearts Content in Newfoundland. In his youth he was a Lieutenant in the Canadian Navy stationed in Halifax during the Second World War and also a father to my dad and his brother. His good friends knew him as “Hoppy”, which is the same nickname that has been given to me. In the last year of his life he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which later spread throughout his body. After undergoing intense chemotherapy, which took a major toll on his body, he passed away in January 1984, about a month before I was born. His death had an enormous impact on my grandmother, and she passed away exactly one year later.
Another person who has had a lasting impact was Anna-Maria Kaluza, my grandmother. Anna-Maria was a hardworking and wonderful woman who had an allure for fashion. She left Slovania with my Granddad in search of a better life in Australia. With the arrival of a daughter, my mom, who is named after her, she began a new life free from the communism that plagued that region of Europe. A few years after the birth of my mom, Anna-Maria began to notice changes in her health. At the time she had no idea that these changes were caused by the cancer Leukemia. By the time anyone realized that her illness was a serious problem it was too late. Anna-Maria’s illness rapidly grew worse and in October 1959, she passed on leaving a husband and 4-year-old daughter. She was just 24 at the time, the very same age I will be when I make my journey across Canada. Although the toll taken by cancer in both these cases did not directly impact my own life, the imprint it has left in my family has endured. Although I did not live through the pain and suffering involved with losing a loved one to cancer, I did suffer my own loss. What was lost was the opportunity to nurture relationships with two very special people. People I will only ever know through stories and my parents' reflections. I will never know how much their presence would have enriched my life, and it is for that reason that I will dedicate my ride across Canada to my lost Grandparents. Even though I may have never met them, they will always remain a part of me.
Who am I riding with? I am riding with my Grandparents who I was not fortunate enough to have ever met…WHO ARE YOU RIDING WITH?
