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George "Brit" Britton
submitted by Scott Graham

Brit was the kid next door. A gate joined our backyards. Being the same age,
Brit and I were close friends. Best friends from my perspective.

An avid hockey player, water skier and, like his mom & dad, a golfer, Brit was full of energy. He worked hard at guitar and told a pretty good joke. He loved the cottage and, in particular, his small blue ski boat that he cherished like a first car. He was nuts about water-skiing. If it would float, he'd ski on it; paddles, planks, chairs, anything that had a flat surface.

His first bouts with Leukemia came in public school. Initially passed off to his young piers as bad colds, he'd miss school for stretches at a time. When Brit returned to school, he'd be tired but his enthusiasm and humour never wavered. It wasn't long before the word, cancer, came into my vocabulary.

This is my last and clearest memory of Brit's fight against cancer. Brit was resting on a cot set up in the living room. I sat nearby and we just talked. Weakened by his fight, it was difficult for him to speak but he did say some funny things. Light comments, positive thoughts. I never heard him complain. I never saw him upset. I never realized how strong he was.

Brit died before high school. We were just kids.

Today, it's apparent that he was much more than a kid. He had the courage of a dozen men. Stalwart. I think of him every year on his birthday, February 18 and in his honour and memory, I'll ride for him on June 18 as I cross Canada on behalf of other children wrestling with Cancer.

Scott Graham
Coast to Coast cyclist