Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

HIKE FOR THE CURE

Local outdoorsman Frank Ritcey launches Hike for the Cure fundraiser for prostate cancer research

May 22, 2025 | 4:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — A longtime environmental and wildfire educator in the area who was recently diagnosed with a serious form of prostate cancer is taking to the outdoors to fundraise for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Frank Ritcey has been collecting donations for medical research through his ‘Hike for the Cure’ campaign. The goal is to raise money to improve cancer treatments, while encouraging others to make use of the mental health benefits that can come with spending time in nature.

CFJC took to the trails with Ritcey this week and heard how getting out for a hike holds deeper meaning these days.

“Being in nature allows me to ground myself and then go back and face the challenges that I have,” Ritcey says.

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His excursions have become part of his recently launched fundraiser for prostate cancer research, a cause that’s become close to home. The idea came shortly after Ritcey himself was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in the summer of 2024.

“And, of course, that came with a great mental toll on me,” notes Ritcey. “It’s the hardest news you’re ever going to get is that you’ve got something that is incurable.”

Hike for the Cure encourages people to get outdoors, share a photo to the group’s Facebook page and make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.

“And especially those five-dollar donations, if you get 1,000 people doing that, all of a sudden you’ve got another $5,000 going into prostate cancer research.”

According to BC Cancer, prostate cancer is one of the top five most common causes of cancer death and it is the most common type of cancer in men. Symptoms of early stage prostate cancer can vary, and a fulsome list can be viewed on the BC Cancer website.

“More than 4,000 men a year get diagnosed with prostate cancer in B.C. and approximately 600 men a year die directly from the disease,” adds Ritcey, “so it’s not a benign disease as a lot of people think.”

Being outdoors is how Ritcey grew up and spent his multi-decade career in wildlife education and preservation. He can attest to how a little fresh air can freshen your perspective.

“And it doesn’t have to be prostate cancer. It can be anything. Anything that’s troubling you, get out in nature, listen to the birds, listen to the river, you know, smell the roses. You’re going to come back a lot better than when you went in.”

Hike for the Cure was only recently launched and it has already raised $11,000, with hopes of gathering much more for cancer research teams.

“They’re coming up with new stuff every year and that’s what I’m pinning my hopes on. I’ve got a great, an amazing cancer care team out of Kelowna and they’re going to keep me around long enough that somebody comes up with a cure,” adds Ritcey.