Ruck for a Cure
On Friday, October 17, 2025, Captain Aaron Niles will lace up his boots and take on a powerful journey, a
16.4 km Ruck March
from CFB Trenton to Quinte Health Belleville General Hospital’s Dr. Douglas A. MacIntosh Cancer Clinic.
Aaron will carry a 30-pound ruck, symbolizing the 30 days his younger brother Sean was once given to live when diagnosed with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia at just two and a half months old.
Thanks to an experimental chemotherapy treatment and a life-saving bone marrow transplant from one of only two matching donors worldwide, Sean went into remission. But in July 2025, at just 15 years old, Sean was diagnosed with a large cell brain cancer (glioblastoma), and his fight against cancer continues.
Carrying the Weight, Together
Ruck for a Cure began in 2021 as Aaron’s tribute to Sean’s strength and to honour the countless families touched by cancer. In his ruck, Aaron has carried military nametags of those affected by cancer, reminding us that the weight of this disease is one no one should have to bear alone.
Now, Ruck for a Cure comes to the Quinte Region in partnership with the Belleville General Hospital Foundation, supporting advanced cancer care close to home through the Dr. Douglas A. MacIntosh Cancer Clinic.
How You Can Help
1. Donate today to support world-class cancer care at Belleville General Hospital.
2. Join the journey by walking alongside Aaron and carrying the ruck for part of the march.
Contact Captain Rachel Brosseau – 613-392-2811 X4565 for more information
3. Dedicate a name to be carried in the ruck in honour of a loved one impacted by cancer.
Send name tags by Courier Mail to:
8 Wing/CFB Trenton
142 Yukon Street
Building 29, Room 225
Astra, Ontario
K0K 3W0
Attn: Capt Aaron Niles
Or drop them off at the BGH Foundation Office