2025 Courage Ride Beneficiaries
Thank you to all of our 2025 Courage Ride riders, volunteers, and sponsors. Your participation in the Cody Buus Invitational Courage Ride has provided hope and meaningful support to two special children and their families affected by illness.
Explore their stories and see how your contributions, in partnership with the Northern Lights Foundation, make a lasting impact. Together, we ride with purpose, strength, and compassion.
Cade Evan Schmidt
Cade Evan Schmidt
Cade is a bright and energetic young boy with a curious spirit and a heart full of kindness. His laughter is infectious, his sense of humor brightens each day, and he has a unique ability to light up any room he enters. With a love for adventure, Cade enjoys exploring the outdoors, whether playing with Legos, Ranger rides, grouse hunting, or discovering new trails. He has a vivid imagination, often creating fantastical stories and games that captivate those around him.
Academically, Cade is eager to learn and always asks thoughtful questions, showing a keen interest in the world around him. He is compassionate and caring, always ready to lend a helping hand to friends and family. His creativity shines through in his artwork and projects, reflecting his vibrant personality.
Overall, Cade is a wonderful blend of curiosity, creativity, and compassion, making him a joy to be around, and his family is so proud of him!
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous support during this challenging time in our lives. Your kindness in providing financial assistance has made a significant difference in this journey as we navigate Cade’s cancer treatment.
By doing this, you are all allowing us to focus more on Cade’s health and recovery. It’s comforting to know that we have such caring people in our life who are willing to help.
Thank you once again for your support and for being there for us all. Your kindness means more than words can express!
With all our appreciation,
Ryan, Olivia, Corbin, and Cade
Shimia
Shimia
Shimia has been battling cancer for a year and a half. Shimia was diagnosed on July 7, 2023, and had her left kidney removed. In late December 2023, it was discovered that the cancer had spread to her left lung and lymph nodes, making this a stage four diagnosis. We started the first-line treatment in January 2024 with oral medication and infusions every two weeks. We discontinued this when progression was confirmed; we then tried eight sessions of radiation in May 2024 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
In June of 2024, a combination of 2 oral medications was tried that caused issues with her remaining kidney. We tried breaks and dose reductions. Ultimately, this combination was discontinued when Shimia had a two-week hospital stay for Pneumonia. We then tried treatment with double infusions in late November of 2024.
Shimia was able to gather the strength to dance with the Duluth East Dance team at the Reliaquest Bowl in Florida on December 31, 2024 but returned home with Influenza A and complete exhaustion. Shimia rested some but continued with her daily activities until severe pain in her lung brought her to the emergency room twice in one weekend. The doctors ordered imaging and confirmed significant progression in her disease; at the rate the cancer is growing, the doctor’s prognosis is poor.
In January 2025, Shimia underwent six more rounds of radiation to help with pain and, hopefully, slow the progression. Currently, we are managing her pain and trying to make as many memories as possible.
Thank you,
Shimia’s Family
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