GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A group of 12 cancer fighters got the ride of their lives on Lake Michigan Friday as part of "Rock the Coast," an annual event organized by West Michigan Offshore and nonprofit Shields of Hope.
WATCH: Cancer fighters 'Rock the Coast' on Lake Michigan with high-speed powerboat rides in Grand Haven
The event gives children and adults battling cancer the chance to ride on high-performance powerboats — some worth more than $1 million — reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Among those taking part was 15-year-old Josh Corey of Grand Rapids.
"Last September, I got diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, so stage one, not too terrible, I mean. About three months of treatment, ended up getting released New Year's Day actually, and then rang the bell the next week," Corey said.
Corey said he was looking forward to the experience.
"I'm going to ride a jet boat that goes pretty, pretty fast, from my understanding," Corey said.
Shields of Hope is a West Michigan nonprofit focused on spreading love, hope, and encouragement to those battling cancer. West Michigan Offshore is a local club made up of members who own high-performance boats.
"They donate their time. They donate their fuel. And what they're looking to do, is basically make a difference for our cancer fighters," Jeff Potter, a board member with Shields of Hope, said. "It's very heartwarming because, sometimes, this might be one of the last events that they get to do with their family," Potter said.
West Michigan Offshore President Jon Vanderwiel said giving back to the community is at the heart of what the club does.
"We like to give back. We really do. … This means a lot to us, and I think the community, and it's taxing on the community as well, because we're here with loud boats and putting on a show. Some people like it, but at the end of the day, we're giving back to the community, and we do what we can do," Vanderwiel said.
Club member Jen Lumbert said the group is hoping to top last year's fundraising total.
"We donated $30,000 last year to Shields of Hope, which covered their big event, which they take all the families up to Great Wolf Lodge. So that was an extremely humbling event for us, and we raised the bar pretty high, and we're pretty proud of that," Lumbert said.
Shields of Hope has supported Corey in other ways as well, including helping organize a birthday celebration that drew an outpouring of community support.
"They had, what, three fire departments, two police departments? I mean, 150 people showed up just to be there for it, and it was just so much fun to be in the presence of so many people and them doing this," Corey said.
Now back to his routine, Corey said the support has made a difference as he transitions to life after treatment.
"I'm already back doing hockey. I'm in multiple camps right now. I'm going into football camps. I'm lifting three times a week. It's great to be back," Corey said.
The two-day event continues Saturday, July 18, with a poker run beginning at 11 a.m., followed by a fundraising event for Shields of Hope Saturday evening.
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