– CONQUERING CANCER THROUGH ART –

August 10th, 2020

Hello, if you are here, there’s a good chance it’s because you saw me riding my bicycle and you scanned the QR code advertised on my bike! Therefore, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read this!

Since my initial bike trek in Italy was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak (you can read more about my initial challenge down below), I have chosen to ride my bicycle from Montreal to Gaspésie along the majestic coastline of the St-Lawrence seaway, all the way to where I had scattered my mum’s ashes a few years ago.

I will ride a total of approximately 1,600 km, in honour of my mother and father, both of which unfortunately passed away due to cancer, and will collect funds and donations for the Cancer Research Society. You can give your donation and help me reach my goal of raising $10,000 by clicking the DONATE NOW button on this page.

Together, we can continue to support cancer research to help people fighting this dreadful disease, in the hopes to find a cure!

Please give generously, it means a lot to me.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Luv.

François

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May 22nd 2020.

I hope everyone who reads this is safe and enjoying the company of loved ones.

In a world pre-COVID-19, today would have been the start of my first ever CRS Challenge, cycling through Italy, on the historical Via Francigena, from Sienna in the beautiful province of Tuscany, all the way to Rome. It was a journey that I was looking forward to with great anticipation, filled with all kinds of emotional ties to my mom, who passed away from cancer a few years ago (I invite you to read my initial journal entry below, if you wish to find out more about this beautiful story and tribute to my mom). But sadly, our planet as since been hit with a worldwide pandemic unlike anything we’ve seen in our age, that as forced the cancellation of my challenge.

At first, when I learned the challenge was cancelled, I was disappointed. But being a natural optimistic, I knew I would find a way to spin this into a positive event, and eventually find another way to ride the Via Francigena in honour of my mother. Since then, the CRS gave us the option to transfer our collected funds to a new challenge. I always wanted to visit the ancient eastern continents, so I decided to sign up for a trek in the Cambodian jungle, that will take place in 2021, and I couldn’t be happier!

I cannot do this alone, this is where you can help by donating generously to my Cancer Research Society Challenge, simply clicking on the DONATE button on my personal page.

Every donation is important and each dollar takes us one step closer to help Cancer research, in the hopes to find a cure!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your generosity.

Life is beautiful.

Take good care of yourself and your loved ones.

I wish you all the very best.

Luv.

François

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Buongiornio (Hello)!

Thank you for your interest in the fight against cancer and for taking a few minutes of your precious time to better understand my motivation behind my participation in the Cancer Research Society challenge: cycling through Italy 2020!

Did you know that the Cancer Research Society is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to exclusively fund research on all types of cancer. Only 40 years ago, if you had cancer, your chances of survival were 25%. Which means that 3 out of 4 people who had the disease would die. Today, survival rates exceed 60%! More people survive cancer than die. This is possible thanks to the progress of researchers. Their hard work has helped overcome barriers and found several solutions to better prevent, detect and treat cancer.

Science has made a lot of progress, but we must not stop there and we must continue to support cancer research projects because despite advances in recent years, cancer remains the leading cause of death in the country, responsible for almost one-third of all deaths in Canada! About 1 in 2 Canadians will develop cancer during their lifetime and 1 person is diagnosed with cancer every 3 minutes!

Unfortunately, I lost many of my loved ones to this plague, especially my dear mother a few years ago, and no one is safe. I am very aware of the ravages of cancer and I am now trying to do my part in the hope of one day overcome this unfortunate disease! It is a very personal cause that is important to me, and not being a doctor, biologist or researcher, I want to contribute virtuously to this fight! I am therefore very proud to be associated with the Cancer Research Society and to participate in the SRC Challenge for this purpose!

I undertake to carry out this challenge in honour of my mother Marguerite Limoges, my super-mom, and all my relatives, my godmother Jeanne or my cousin Carole, who have all survived their cancer, thanks to research supported and funded by the Cancer Research Society and the advances that this research has made in the medical sciences! I also do this challenge in memory of those who have not been so fortunate and who have succumbed to cancer, like my aunts Madeleine and Irene. Together, they give me the strength to persevere and meet this challenge!

My mother is my heroine at the center of my motivation and the main reason why I registered for the CRS Challenge: cycling through Italy 2020. She was a fighter all her life. A single mother, she played the dual role of mother and father and gave everything to raise her two sons. She was a loving, caring and generous woman, always smiling, even in adversity! She loved flowers and butterflies and was also a painter. She passed on to me her love of art, a passion that I practice through my own artistic journey by drawing and painting portraits based on the figurative art style. She is the one represented in the watercolour portrait found on my Etsy home page.

Marguerite Limoges,
Watercolor on Fabriano Paper,
9″ x 12″, 2019

© copyright François Champagne-Limoges

One of my mother’s most cherished dreams was to travel to Europe one day. She finally managed to make three wonderful trips in the last years of her life, before her cancer, and got to visit Paris, Prague and Rome. But unfortunately, after her third trip, she was diagnosed with lymph node cancer. After a series of chemotherapy treatments, she had a short period of remission and one of the first activities she wanted to do was to go cycling on the Richelieu Canal bike path, which we did together on a beautiful afternoon. I still remember it like it was yesterday. But her remission was short-lived, and despite a new round of treatment, she succumbed to cancer at the age of seventy.

Since her death, I have set myself the goal of continuing to make her travel around the world. I spread her ashes in Gaspésie, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean so she can travel and navigate the seven seas. And now, during my own travels, I always bring with me a little something that belonged to her; a ring, an earring, a personal object, which I usually drop to the bottom of the water in the city I visit to honour her. I went to Paris on my very first trip to Europe and left one of her favorite butterfly jewellery at the bottom of the Seine, at the foot of Notre-Dame Basilica. I also went to Prague where I was able to leave a souvenir token that was dear to her, sink to the bottom of the Vltava River, under Charles Bridge. I still have Rome to accomplish and when I saw the poster of the challenge against cancer to travel Italy by bike to get to Rome, I thought it was the perfect time for me to register for the CRS challenge, since this challenge joined two of her passions: cycling and Italy!

I gave myself the mission to take up the CRS Challenge, a 7 day bike marathon which will end in Rome, where l will go deposit a personal item of hers at the bottom of the Tiber River in her honor. That is why this challenge, it’s location and the cause are very dear to me! I have already started my training and I am convinced that I will succeed my challenge!

This is where you come in because I cannot do it alone! It will be an extremely emotional journey for me, so I need your help and financial support to make this happen. Therefore, in order to fund my Cancer Research Society challenge, I would like to share my sensitivity and talent with all those who have been touched by cancer, by offering to paint a watercolour portrait of these fierce survivors or in memory of those brave souls and loved ones who were victims, and by doing so, honour them and bring a little happiness through my art 🙂

I am asking for your support by offering you a 9″ x 12″ personalized watercolour portrait commission in return for a minimum contribution of $250.00 per portrait. Please note that 100% of the money raised will contribute directly to fund the Cancer Research Society and my CRS challenge! Each watercolour portrait is hand-painted by me on 100% cotton, acid free, 140lbs, hot pressed Fabriano watercolor paper, and will be sent to you by mail to the address of your choice, at no extra charge. A high-resolution scanned version will also be sent to you by email.

Simply place your order through my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FChampagneLimogesArt to facilitate the delivery and send me your preferred high-resolution digital picture(s) via e-mail, that clearly show the subject’s at his or her best! If you’re not certain which picture would be best, don’t hesitate to send me a few different pictures and i will gladly work with you and share my opinion towards your full satisfaction before starting the watercolor painting.

You can also contact me through email at francoischampagnelimoges@gmail.com or contribute directly to my fundraising campaign through the CRS Cancer Research Society website by clicking this link:

http://recherche-cancer-research.crs-src.ca/goto/Francois_Champagne

Please note that for Canadian residents, all direct donations over CAD $ 20.00 are tax deductible (does not apply on purchase of a painting). Please do not hesitate to forward this invitation to all your friends, colleagues and loved ones, because nobody is safe from this scourge and we must continue to pursue research in order to conquer cancer! Your donation, big or small, makes a difference!

Thank you for encouraging me to take on this important challenge and make a real difference in the lives of thousands of people! For my part, I will keep you informed of the progress of my campaign over the coming months!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for your support and your generosity, together we will overcome cancer! I hope to hear from you soon!

My most sincere greetings.

Francois Champagne-Limoges

http://www.francoischampagnelimoges.com
Email me at francoischampagnelimoges@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram: @francois_champagne_limoges_art
Follow me on YouTube and see the process behind the drawings: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXm3sef7-uQqwNv3i7KnF-g