For his more than 10 years of volunteer service with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of B.C., Burnaby resident Ian Baxter has been honoured this year with a research award named for him.
Each year, the foundation grants thousands of dollars to students researching the disease.
This year's recipient of the $25,000 Ian Baxter Pioneer Award was a student at the University of Victoria.
In the last 12 years, Baxter has served as director of the foundation, as well as vice-chair and secretary.
He is the current chair of the Burnaby-New Westminster prostate cancer support group, and he also ran the food pavilion at the annual Fathers' Day walk/run for prostate cancer at Burnaby Lake.
"You have to be somebody pretty special to be named," said Leah LaRiviere, executive director of the foundation. "We put a lot of thought into who has given of their time and of themselves over the years."
Baxter is also a prostate cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2000, and has recently faced a relapse.
"It's no fun," he said of the experience. "But that's what it's all about - trying to help each other and learn from each other and make this journey in life a bit more tolerable when your fellow men are there to help and offer guidance and support."
