Property Twins Raise Millions for Cancer in Mother’s Memory
Chris Ruscheinski and his twin brother Jamie were still in high school when the inconceivable occurred: they discovered that their mother Janis had contracted breast cancer. It was a bummer of a situation, but they weren't going to crumble. Instead, they did something brave and totally unexpected and absolutely proactive.
By Nick Krewen
Chris Ruscheinski and his twin brother Jamie were still in high school when the inconceivable occurred: they discovered that their mother Janis had contracted breast cancer.
And as if things couldn’t get worse, her monthly disability cheque she received from the government amounted to $750. Her rent was $700.
“She was broke,” recalled Chris Ruscheinski, co-proprietor of Langley, B.C. realty firm The Property Twins and co-founder of Twins Cancer Fundraising, which organizes the annual Gone Country – Here For the Cure single day music festival in Surrey B.C.
“She wasn’t getting enough money to survive.”
Even though the brothers took on additional jobs to help contribute financially, Janice was still barely getting by. So, they decided to raise funds of their own by throwing a party and inviting their friends and raised between $2000 to $3000 to assist their mom.
When Janice succumbed to the disease after three years, the brothers Ruscheinski were 19 and decided to continue the fight against cancer in their mother's memory.
“What happened is that my brother asked me if I wanted to join him on A Walk For the Cure event,” Ruscheinski tells Samaritanmag. “It was a 60 km walk, and I was sitting at a pub at the time with a couple of beers and a plate of chicken wings in front of me.
“I started laughing and told him there was no way I could walk 60K, but maybe we could start our own fundraiser.”
The men borrowed their father’s backyard and held a BBQ and raffle, raising $22,000 their first year out.
Continue reading how $22K turned into millions of dollars on SamaritanMag
