William's Story by his Mom: William's working with his trainer at Synapse, was one of the most beneficial things he did for himself to help him reach other goals in his life, before losing it to cancer. Work with his trainer at Synapse began in June 2020. William was still suffering from severe headaches while recovering from a cycling accident in the fall of 2018. After other treatments failed, we took to Synapse, after reading about what they do beyond physiotherapy, to get someone back to the life they want to live. Our son was enduring memory & movement issues and had deferred University entrance. With the help of Synapse, William continued to be outdoors in the mountains as much as he could chasing the exhilaration & energy it gave back to him. He also started work in the industry that he thoroughly enjoyed at a local bike & ski Shop. William trained at Synapse for over a year and during that time was able to return to active life, hiking, downhill riding & mountain biking, winter & summer camping, backcountry & resort skiing. He had learned outdoor skills & risk mitigation growing up as a member of the local 144 Lake Bonavista Sea Scouts. He also completed avalanche training. The headaches and the body pains would return--but he was able to manage them for 14 months with Synapse, while living life to the fullest he could. He also began new treatments with medical specialists. He started at MRU in the fall. William went head on into post secondary life with the support of Synapse and the team at the bike & ski shop. Devastating to all of us, William's ongoing headaches were misdiagnosed, and despite being in the care of specialists, we lost him to Intracranial Ewing Sarcoma, a rare form of childhood, adolescent and young adult bone cancer. It was a shock. He had been diagnosed with migraines and was really enduring a tumour growing from the skull into his brain. The lemon sized tumour was discovered during autopsy. Identifying it took months. Ewing Sarcoma is usually found in the pelvis, legs or ribs. I called Chad to give him the news. It wasn't an easy call to make. And now, Chad and Synapse are riding to further research into Cancer here in Alberta, to help prevent other families from having to go through this. Alberta Cancer is currently funding Sarcoma research at the University of Calgary. By supporting Chad and his team, you can help cancer research of many kinds continue. William never got the chance to fight his cancer. Due to research in the last 40 years, the 5-year survival rate for Ewing Sarcoma has generally risen from 20 to 80%. It is rare. Especially in the skull. But great progress has been made. With the assistance of Alberta Justice & the Medical Examiner, we are taking part in a Fatality Inquiry that could change migraine & other medical protocols to ensure a diagnosis to provide proper treatment. Team Synapse's ride, along with your donations, can help ensure the prevention, cures, and treatments are funded when cancer is diagnosed. Community coming together. William was always our active guy. He went from rolling to running as a toddler and never looked back. He was fierce about learning and trying new things. From winning Gold Medals at the city Science Fair in grades 6-9; to being at the top of his Sports Medicine Classes in High school; earning his Queen's Scout Award; and to earning top marks in his program at MRU, William ALWAYS brought it all. Early in his search for ridding himself of his headaches, we used to joke how he was shadowing all the doctors he had been referred to. He never gave up and always pushed them for answers. At one time, he had considered a career in medicine. William's love for the mountains shaped his life as he grew. Especially when he could share the riding, hiking and camping with friends. William’s Instagram handle was “_sendr_” as it was a way to describe his approach of living life to the fullest. But--William never threw caution to the wind. He was the risk manager in any adventure he undertook. In fact, William had already been noted for that by the head of his Bachelor of Health & Physical Education-Eco Tourism & Outdoor Leadership program at MRU. And, it is what Will did, pushing himself to bring the most to the activity he was undertaking and ensure that his friends were equipped for it as well. We are touched by the parents of William’s friends telling us that if they knew William was leading the adventure, or involved in it somehow, the young people were well prepared and would be home safely. All part of his _sendr_ brand. Your supporting Chad and the Synapse Team in the 100 KM ride, is a fitting tribute to our William. Sending it for a cure. Thank-you.