Twins Chris and Jamie Ruscheinski watched the agonizing death of their beloved mother 10 years ago, after her long and painful fight with breast cancer.
Then their grandfather died, and last year, their dear friend Shaun Gauthier died of angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of the disease which claimed his life in two weeks. He was 28.
Their stepmother is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments daily for breast cancer and their father has battled melanoma for the last few of years.
It would be too much for most people, but the Ruscheinskis refuse to allow their grief to bury them. Inspired by their mother’s strength and perseverance, and the memory of their grandfather and friend Shaun, the siblings are planning a huge fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The Twins Cancer Fundraiser will be held at the Willoughby Community Park on Saturday, July 9 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
They expect to draw more than 1,000 people in their bid to raise $80,000 for an event which they hope will change the way young people view fundraising.
“We feel strongly about committing our lives to making a difference and will do everything in our power to raise awareness and funds for cancer, with the dream of preventing other families from suffering the way we have from this disease,” the twins said.
“We have the Canadian Cancer Society, our friends and family to support the quest to fight cancer. We’re not only having a raffle to raise money, we are putting on the bash of the summer, creating an uplifting atmosphere not to be missed,” they promised.
Several bands and DJs, who have all agreed to donate their time and talent, will perform. There will be many sponsors and a beach-style barbecue,
“This event will be a youthful and fun approach to fighting this disease,” the Ruscheinskis said.
“We have learned that the only way we can have any control over cancer is to raise as much money and awareness as possible. So, over the past five years we’ve done just that.”
Their efforts have boosted cancer research by $200,000. Motivated by Gauthier’s death, the twins and a group of friends formed ‘Shauntourage’ for an event called ‘100G’s for Shaun G’ at the Commodore Ballroom. They topped their goal by almost $20,000.
Ticket information about the Twins Cancer Fundraiser will be announced in May or June.