Rooted is all about the people and the places that make us proud to call our community home.
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When North Bay radio host Kevin Oschefski received the text, his world turned upside down. "I have cancer," his wife Josie wrote. Those three simple words in February marked the beginning of a challenging new chapter in their lives — one filled with doctor’s appointments, treatments, and a rollercoaster of emotions.
"It was back in late January. My wife Josie noticed an abnormality with one of her breasts but really didn't think a lot of it. It was just like, ‘That's weird.’ And then one day while she was getting changed, my oldest daughter kind of mentioned it to her again. That’s when my wife said, ‘You know what? Maybe I should go get it checked,’” Oschefski recalls.
Neither Kevin nor Josie expected what was to come next. “Everybody tells you don't worry about it. Ninety per cent of what we stress about never happens. We just assumed it was routine,” he says, admitting he didn’t even attend the follow-up appointment. "I remember sitting there and getting a text from my wife and it said, ‘I have cancer.’ And I just said, WHAT?”
Their lives shifted into overdrive after the diagnosis, and the family was thrust into the complexities of cancer treatment. “From there, everything kind of goes into high speed. You start using all these medical terms, and you get a crash course in breast cancer. You're going to appointments, meeting doctors, learning as you go,” he says.
The emotional toll grew heavier as the treatments continued. "Now where we're at today is, that my wife has had chemo. She's had surgery twice. Radiation is on the horizon, and then what really sort of deflated us was that she has to go through another nine months of chemo. We kind of thought we were done with chemo. We celebrated and took pictures, and the kids were there when she rang the bell. But to find out we were going to have to go through it again, that was a tough one for sure."
Through the hardship, one moment particularly stood out to Oschefski, the host of The Kevin O Show on Country 90.5—the long drives between North Bay and Sudbury, where Josie was receiving treatment. “The thing that really sticks out was when we had to go to Sudbury after she'd been diagnosed to meet with our cancer doctor. On the drive there, it was just her and I and there was a very sort of nervous tension,” Kevin remembers. “You leave two hours later, head home, and your whole life has changed. The next year of her life was going to be basically put on hold.”
That journey to Sudbury and back planted the seed of an idea in Ochefski’s mind. “I thought about how many other people have gone through that same trip and experienced those same emotions. Some may have even driven back home without a plan. We’re lucky we had a plan, but not everybody does. That thought stuck with me, and I decided I wanted to bring something good out of a really tough situation."
That’s when Kevin decided to embark on a mission: a 129-km walk from the Northeast Cancer Centre in Sudbury to the CIBC branch in North Bay. “I wanted to raise awareness around the CIBC Run for the Cure. I’m also hoping to raise some money, but the primary goal is awareness,” he says.
Though he is an experienced runner, this distance presents a new challenge. “I've never run that kind of distance. I run almost daily, but this is different. I'll run when I feel I can run. I'll walk when I need to walk. It’s not a race, as long as I get there by the end of the day Friday.”
The logistics are carefully planned. “We’ve let the OPP know what’s going on. I’ll have a vehicle escort from the radio station, with a flashing light, and we want to make sure we do it when it’s not dark. I don’t know what the weather’s going to be like, or how much I’m going to hurt at the end of the day, but we’re going to do it.”
The walk which starts tomorrow (October 1st – 4th) isn’t just about cancer awareness—it’s also about community. “My initial goal was to raise $5,000, but as we look at the total from just over this past weekend, we’re now over $10,000. I’m blown away. That’s without holding any events, just people jumping on board and donating.”
The outpouring of support has been overwhelming, especially after the news that Josie would have to undergo more chemo. “We were really down after that. My wife was down. But this felt like a hug from our community. We’ve cried so much in the last few days, but this time they were tears of gratitude. I’ll never be able to thank people enough for what they have done for our family.”
This isn’t the first time Oschefski has been involved in raising awareness for breast cancer. In previous years, he’d dyed his hair pink and even worn pink pants for 30 straight days. “I've always tried to do things to support it because it is such an important cause. But this year, it went to a whole other level. You know the phrase ‘it hits home?’ It really hit home.”
As the walk nears, Oschefski hopes the event will serve as a reminder of the importance of reaching out and supporting those affected by cancer. “People often say, ‘I didn’t want to reach out because I didn’t know what to say.’ I always tell them, you don’t need to know what to say. Just say, ‘I was thinking about you.’ That means the world. It’s such a pick-me-up. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out to people who are going through something.”
For the Oschefski family, the journey on foot from Sudbury to North Bay is more than just a fundraiser—it’s a journey of love, strength, and resilience. His wife Josie’s fight continues, but so does their gratitude for the community standing with them. You can click on this link (Donate Here) to make a donation.
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