It Takes Guts coming to Neepawa
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- Published on Friday, June 19, 2015
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner
On June 21, the It Takes Guts charity barrel race will be returning to Neepawa. Held at the Neepawa fair grounds, the event is a fundraiser for Crohn鈥檚 and Colitis Canada.
This will be the fundraiser鈥檚 second year and organizer Erin Cathcart is hoping to build on the success of last year鈥檚 event. Last year, the event attracted 102 racers and raised about $7,800. 鈥淲e were very, very happy with last year,鈥� she said. She added that when they decided to host the event last year, they had a lot of support from family and friends. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty close to our heart,鈥� she explained.
This year鈥檚 event has already attracted strong support. 鈥淧eople have stepped forward. Lots of people have come to us, it鈥檚 very appreciated,鈥� said Cathcart.
Cathcart was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in September 2012 while at university in Saskatchewan. Ulcerative colitis is inflammation of the large intestine where the bacteria within the colon attacks itself, thinking the enzymes are foreign to the body. She was rushed to the Royal University hospital in Saskatoon on Sept. 26, 2012 with extreme pain and was put on morphine right away. Ultimately, it took 50 pills a day and the rest of the semester at home to get the disease under control. 鈥淚t was a shocker, you never this this will happen,鈥� she said of the diagnosis.
She and her family came up with the idea of a barrel race as a way of giving back and creating awareness about the diseases. 鈥淚鈥檝e been involved with horses my whole life,鈥� she said.
She added that since hosting last year鈥檚 event, more people have been coming up to her and asking her about the disease. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the easiest disease to talk about. It was hard to go through it alone. I didn鈥檛 know what it was when I was diagnosed,鈥� said Cathcart.
The barrel racing will start at 3 p.m. and there is no charge for spectators. There will also be a raffle, a 50/50 draw and a concession. 鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful for all of the sponsors and all the help from my family,鈥� said Cathcart.
