We Came, We Relayed, We Conquered!

Survivors Lap

Team MelanOpen's first Relay For Life event was a major success.

Not only did we crush our $3,000 target, but we doubled it. We raised a total of $6,251 for the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre - take that cancer - and were recognized by the Canadian Cancer Society with a Bronze award for raising more than $5k.




Six of us walked, ran, skipped and jumped throughout the night until our feet were sore, our minds fuzzy, and our eyes began to shut. But nothing makes you stand up against cancer like seeing 700 people unite together by a track lit by 1,000s of luminary's honouring loved ones who fight, who are no longer with us and those who have survived!

A big thank you to all of our supporters - both those who came out to cheer us on, those who walked throughout the night, and those who generously donated. Below are some pictures from the event - we hope you enjoy them! It was an honour to be part of it and I look forward to many more Relays in years to come!

To my Uncle Peter, my Uncle Richard, and my Dad, David - in memory, in honour of, I salute you all and admire your strength and undeniable courage in your battles. And to all of the other fighters out there, stay strong x

Relay For Life - Final Countdown

It's amazing how time flies these days, there's only 1 week left for team MelanOpen's Relay For Life, and we're just a few hundred dollars away from our target of  $3,000.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported our efforts thus far. It's a very emotional time for the Simpson Family, as most of you know, and it makes our participation in the Relay just that much more important. I'm totally overwhelmed at people's ability to come together, especially how selfless each and every one of you has been to donate your time and your money to such a wonderful cause.

And yesterday, because of all of your support, I cracked the 'Top Ten' individual fundraisers in Toronto. HELLO!

There is still time to donate, and plenty of room for me to move up the top 10 ladder :) please visit our fundraising page at the following link: MelanOpen Relay For Life Page

MelanOpen Relay For Life Team

Well, within a couple of weeks of deciding to enter a team, we're off to a strong start with the following people confirmed and ready to to relay:

• Susan Simpson
• Michael Johnston
• Bradley Simpson
• Kim Cranfield
• Sarah Kelsey
• Melia Awad
• Hali Ahlfeld
• Molly Donovan
• Jen Short
• Lauren Farnell
• Anne Marie O'Neill
• Geoff Pertsch

Not to mention the lovely Juliana Aristizabal and Lola who will be our cheerleaders extraordinaire ;)


Looking forward to Relaying. If you would like to support our fight against Cancer, please visit our MelanOpen Team Page on the Canadian Cancer Society's website.

Email me for more info: rice260@gmail.com 

It's Been A While

Hopefully that doesn't mean you've forgotten about us. We certainly haven't forgotten about YOU! 


I am proud to announce that team MelanOpen will be taking part in the Canadian Cancer Society's 2011 'Relay For Life' event, taking place at Sunnybrook Park on June 17/18. 



As my Dad, Davey, continues to fight Stage IV Melanoma each and every day, we are determined to get behind him any way that we can. Sunnybrook's Odette Cancer Centre is full of 'angels' as Dad calls them. This new crusade that our MelanOpen team has decided to undertake raises money specifically for Dad and all of the other cancer patients at Sunnybrook. And of course, to the   Men and Women who day in and out, protect our friends and family members as they fight Cancer. 





Cancer doesn't sleep, nor do we. Check out our MelanOpen team profile and join us in the fight once again! 

A Huge Success

 Some kind words from our friends at Sunnybrook

The Final Tally - And Final Hand Off

On August 2nd, 2010, I decided to organize the 2010 MelanOpen - a charity golf tournament to help raise money for the nasty cancer that my Pops had been diagnosed with earlier in the year.


On August 12th, 2010, Maples Of Ballantrae confirmed that October 2nd would be d-day. 


In the next couple of weeks, I roped in the following individuals to help make it all come together:

• Mike to help keep me sane and make sure all t's were crossed.
• Simon to help design the logo and help facilitate the production of our wonderful buttons, hats, banners and all things creative. 
• Jen Short to do photography. Kim Cranfield to be her driver and 2nd in command.
• Joann Vitug, Tyler Walker, Juliana Aristizabal, Shannon Curley, Anne-Marie O'Neill, Keera Jeschkeit and Melissa Grant to be the trusty volunteers and raffle ticket salespeople extraordinaire. 

In exactly 2 months, we raised a whopping $13,318 for The Sunnybrook Foundation, all money being donated towards Melanoma research specifically. We handed over the money to my Dad's Oncologist, Dr Teresa Petrella (as you can see, he's been in VERY good hands) - the final piece to the 2010 MelanOpen puzzle.  

David Simpson, Dr Teresa Petrella & Susan Simpson (newly brunette)

Thank you to all. Here's to 2011! 

The Pictures Have Arrived

Are you as excited as I am? 

Check out some snaps from the Big day and if anyone would like one printed, email me at: ssimpson@siriuscanada.ca 


All the credit goes to our wonderful Photographer, who not only donated her time, but her amazing skill at capturing what turned out to be my best day in 2010. Jen Short, we love you.