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There is no website for "change for a cure" for they do have a Facebook fanpage. This is their description:
"Change" For a Cure is a non-profit organization encouraging people to collect spare change they have laying around to help fund a cancer fighting drug called DCA. We also encourage "Changing" lifestyles to healthier ones and being more active to lower risks and further prevent the horrible disease we all know and hate...Cancer.
"Change" For a Cure was started October, 2009 one very late night while I was sick in bed after my "Chemo Day" and someone introduced me to a youtube video on DCA and how the government pulled funding because they proved it helped cure cancer 70% better than any cancer fighting drug out there. They openly admitted that they were no longer interested in further funding this drug because they would make no profit. This sickened me and made me very angry. And at 3am I decided to make a group making this vocal. Making people aware. "Change" For a Cure was then created. It is something very dear to my heart and is my world. I eat, breathe and sleep thinking of ways to help people. It is what I am still alive for. I was given a second chance at life to help people and "Change" lives. To help "Change" the world. And that is what I shall do.
"Change" For a Cure is about making people aware of this cancer fighting drug, DCA and getting it funded once again. In order to make this happen and make the government and pharmaceutical companies aware that we know of DCA and why they stopped funding, I will be walking around the world doing world wide petitions and personally presenting them to health boards all around.
On April 29th, 2010 this journey will begin. This spring I will be conquering Canada by walking 3500 km from Toronto, ON to the University of Alberta where I will be personally donating money to cancer research and the drug DCA. Along the way accross Canada I will be starting my Canadian petition to start funding DCA once again. After my 3 month walk I will come home and rest for a few weeks. Then I will be walking 505 km from Toronto to Ottawa where I will be personally presenting my accross Canada petition to fund DCA to the health department at Parliment.
After conquering Canada, next is the United States.
In the spring of 2011, I will be conquering the USA by walking over 5000 km from California to Washington, DC doing my US petition to start funding DCA. My last stop will be the White House where I will personally present my accross USA petition to the Health Department.
I will not stop walking until I raise enough awareness on DCA and how the government and pharmaceutical companies will not fund it because they wont make profit. There is so much they hide and my purpose is to dig it up and make people aware. No matter how long it takes, I will do everything I can to change the health care system all over and help people.
Impossible is a word people use when they are lazy. Nothing is impossible. You are capable of anything you put your heart, mind, body and soul into. Take your dreams and make them a reality. There is no such thing as a dream too big. ♥
Thank you all for your love and support and believing in my vision to "Change" the world.
-Ashley Kirilow
Now, this organization led you think that it was totally non-profit and that the money will proceed to go to University of Alberta for cancer research. However, this was not the case at all. It was all a fraud. The money raised by so many good people was to pay for everything in her life even her trip to Australia. The money never got to University of Alberta, and rumours say that she never had cancer in the first place.
Here are some other resources:
Then on the facebook fan page, Adam Catley posted this:The Short Version:
“Change” For A Cure, founded by Ashley Anne Kirilow, is apparently not what we believed it was. The C4AC team have been led to believe that none of the money that has been donated in the past has actually made it to the University Of Alberta, and we have direct sources that note that Ashley had/has no intention on delivering the money. Before you direct any questions to myself or the C4AC team, please read the longer explanation.
The Long Version:
As many of you know, I have done a lot of work in the past with “Change” For A Cure. I personally raised over $1500 by running two local shows at the Sharon Hall. These shows saw so much love, and so much talent. I am writing this to inform you of some news that I am sure will raise some questions. We have been contacted by family members of Ashley Kirilow, the founder and director of “Change” For A Cure, who have told us that Ashley never had cancer. She led us to believe that she did in order to start this charity. She waxed her head and plucked her eyebrows in an attempt to look as if she was suffering the effects of chemo. Beyond this, she has raised over $20,000 for the charity, and had/has no intention on delivering it to the University Of Alberta, to whom it was originally intended. (Refer to the C4AC Page* for more information) This information has arrived to us very recently, and we have done everything in our power to see to it that this money does end up in the hands of the university. It was a decision by the C4AC team to share this situation, as so many of you were such loving supporters and gave so much to what was known at the time to be an amazing cause. Ashley has apparently been warned to shut down her actions before, but continues to pursue this endeavour using different charity names, and in different groups of people. On behalf of myself and the entire C4AC team, I would like to apologize for any stress that this has caused, and to those who have donated so much money and time to the cause. I myself, am at a loss, but I would like you all to know that we all had the best intentions. Success comes not from the size of your wallet, or from the medals you receive, but from the kindness of your heart. Your love will not go unnoticed.
I went to high school with Ashley and never got the chance to really know her during my years at M.M. Robinson with her. it was august of 2008 when i met her again in downtown burlington, she recognized me and with a little reminder i recognized her. we had met up a few times after but soon lost contact once again.This person is indeed very ill. Not physically or emotionally ill, but ill in her head because she is messed up. It is unbelievable that a person can lie about having terminal cancer to take advantage of the good people who help her unconditionally. This seriously heartbroke lots of people, especially those who thought that were giving money to a good cause because their families or friends also have cancer. This caused a major heartbreak for Rob Dyer, founder of Skate4Cancer, a genuine cancer-awareness non-profit organization. This is their statement on Facebook:
It wasnt until february (if i recall correctly) that she surprisingly texted my cell phone asking me to attend a benfit being held for her at club 54. when i questioned what it was for she responded to me this: "in december i was diagnosed with brain, breast, liver and ovarian cancer, i have been given 4 months to live."
Right then and there we regained a friendship and i wanted to help with whatever i can. Soon after she came calling telling me that her and her boyfriend Oliver (who i cannot find on facebook because i dont remember his last name) had broken up and he had subsequently kicked her out of his house. "Im homeless and broke and am guna die alone" is what she said to me.
I happened to be with a good friend of mine Lance Underhay at the time and i pulled him aside and asked him about an open room in his apartment because he lives very close to joseph brant hospital. we asked her why she couldnt be with her family, and once again gave a heartbreaking response of: "i'm an only child and...when i was 12 my mother died of an overdose and I never knew my father". instantly Lance opened his heart and moved her things in to his apartment. the 3 people that lived in the ontario st. building are 3 of the kindest and generous people i have ever met in my life. they took her in for about 6 months, never asking her for a penny of rent or anything for groceries. through all of this, she did continue to see Oliver and had said that he was being extremly nasty to her, telling her he hopes she dies soon etc. obviously we told her to stop seeing him.
...she never did stop.
in the beginning of summer 2009 Ashley had been living with my very close friends for a few months and decided that she was not going to live much longer (she honestly did look very ill) and that she was going to go to australia to live out the rest of her days. Obviously supportive of this the 4 of us helped her pack her belongings and pitched in to buy her a necklace that symbolized safe travel. My mother, who works for air canada even met her at teh airport and walked her through all the checkpoints and right to her seat on the plane. i believe i even saw pictures of other staff members with her wishing her well. We were told she would be safe living with some friends of friends in Sydney.
It was only 2 weeks later that i got a call from her in need of help once again. she told me that she had been in the hospital ever since she landed with a blood infection commonly found in the types of cancer she had. I recall her on the phone actually telling me: "Adam I have no money to get home i have had to spend the money i saved for my funeral on hospital bills, (crying) i am so afraid to die alone out here." Immediatley i told her im coming down to australia until u are ok to fly back home and i called my dad to see what we could do about flying her back as soon as possible. he told me whatever she needs we will take care of just get her home. My entire family was then doing what we could for 3 days to see how quickly we could get her back to burlington. both my mother and aunt (also an air canada employee) worked to find cheap flights in coordination with her "release date" from the hospital. eventually, she told me the bank had given her some funds and she could return home.
She did return a few days later and moved back in with my friends on Ontario st. once again. by this point there were so many people worried about a young girl who we thought was an incredibly strong and driven individual that Lance and Jeff and Jen and I decided we needed to help somehow. our idea was to throw a benfit with all proceeds going directly to ashley so she could live out the rest of her days comfortably and with no worries of money (at this point being told that her new life expectancy is no more than 2 months). all of us being employees of the queens head pub, and my dad actually owning it,naturally we had a venue for our big party. within only 2 weeks (because we didnt know how long she was going to "last") we had spent tireless hours and money from all of our own pockets to have an extremely successful event with numerous bands, help from dozens of people doing posters and donating gifts, money etc. raising just over $9,000 for her. we were all so excited that it went off without a hitch. well this is just after she had started change for a cure and things started to change very soon after this event in late september 2009.
The people ashley was living with (Jeff, Jen and Lance) had noticed things going missing, mind you very minor things like dishes, clothing, food, drink etc. and when Ashley was mearly questioned on the matter she had an
attitude not yet seen by any of us. she became very busy with her
foundation by this point and we had hardly seen her in the next month.
her relationship with her "roommates" continued to diminish due to a
brand new and intense attitude she had seemed to grow over night. after
putting up with a few more months of missing things somebody finally
went into her room and found an incredibly disgusting mess of used
dishes, dirty clothes, pizza boxes piled up, maggets on the floor,
everything short of feces thrown at the wall. the roomies decided
...something needed to be done and they then asked ashley to clean the mess
and maybe start giving a little bit of money per month towards
groceries. Ashley was then quite upset and said she was moving out. 2
weeks had passed and nothing had changed so the roomates decided to
clean the room themselves and one day ashley had packed up her stuff and
was ready to go. she did eventually leave the house but they were ready
to change the locks on her because of the way she was acting. about
this time was the last i heard from ashley. this was about end of
November '09. until this.
August 2nd, 2010
TORONTO, ON - Skate4Cancer has recently become aware of the allegations of fraud brought against Ms. Ashley Kirilow, and her not-for-profit organization known as "Change For A Cure". These allegations have shocked and saddened both Skate4Cancer's founder Rob Dyer, as well as the entire Skate4Cancer community.
Ms. Kirilow first came to the attention of Skate4Cancer in the summer of 2009, when mutual friends informed Rob that Ms. Kirilow was in the end stages of her battle with a number of types of terminal cancer. Her one wish was to spend some time with her idol and inspiration, Rob Dyer. In the compassionate, giving way that Rob and the organization have become renowned for, Skate4Cancer, with the support of a sponsor arranged for an overnight trip to Disney World in Orlando Florida, going above and beyond in fulfilling Ashley's wish.
Inspired by this experience, Ms. Kirilow started the Change for a Cure not-for-profit in October of 2009. Rob's contact with Ashley diminished as her focus shifted more significantly toward her organization. Rob has had no direct interaction with Ms. Kirilow since December of 2009.
We would like to extend our sympathies and regrets to those who have allegedly been taken advantage of. It would break our hearts to see good people with the best of intentions betrayed in such a way. For your peace of mind, Skate4Cancer has no formal or informal affiliation to Change For A Cure. There have been no jointly held events or fundraising initiatives. Skate4Cancer's involvement with Ms. Kirilow was based solely on fulfilling what the organization believed to be a legitimate final wish from a terminally ill individual.
This has been a very difficult few days for Rob Dyer and the entire Skate4Cancer community. Our organization is based on love, kindness, and generosity of spirit. It is our hope and expectation that the Skate4Cancer community will emerge stronger and more resolved than ever to make a positive and tangible impact on the lives of those affected by cancer.
This will be the only formal statement from Skate4Cancer on this issue, as we have no first hand knowledge of the exact allegations being levied against Ms. Kirilow. As the authorities are now reportedly involved, Rob Dyer will not be conducting any interviews or making any further personal statements on the issue until the situation has run its course through the judicial system. We appreciate everyone's understanding, patience and cooperation in this matter. Any further inquiries can be directed to Ian Stanger, s4c@weareblackbox.com.
DreamLoveCure
Skate4Cancer
Yes, there are evil people on earth, but there are also very true warm-hearted and kind people who help others.
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