Winnipeg fisher reels in an escape for children battling cancer

A Winnipeg fisherman is being recognized for helping children, who are battling cancer, forget what they're going through. 

Clancy Solomon's been hooked on inviting kids diagnosed with cancer and their families out on the water since he was asked 24 years ago — and now he's being featured in a national truck commercial. 

It's brought exposure to these fishing trips that bring Solomon — and the kids he meets — a lot of joy. 

"If they're having an issue, they can come back to this particular day fishing and bring back that memory," Solomon said. "We don't know what works but hopefully that's a part of it." 

Helping kids catch fish

6 years ago

Duration 1:06

Clancy Solomon has a passion for fishing, and when he was asked to teach kids living with cancer how to fish — he was hooked.

Solomon volunteers with the Kids Fishing For A Cure charity, giving a hook and a line to children living with cancer as they set off along the Red River near Selkirk annually.

He might be as happy as the kids reeling in their first catch, he suggests.

"To see these kids and the excitement they have when they're walking down the docks and they have a fishing rod in hand," Solomon said. "An experience that they can cherish, remember, it's very, very gratifying."

He's now in a TV commercial because he responded to an email from a casting agency asking him what he uses his Chevrolet truck for. Pleased that he tows his fishing boat to help others, Solomon was cast for the starring role.

Fishing is a passion he can share with children who may need an escape, even if it's just for a day. 

"Some of them have taken treatments the night before, shouldn't be out in the sun or on the water, but they're out there and they want to fish."

These days are about bonding. During the hours Solomon spends on the water with the kids and their families, they get to know each other. They become friends.

It can be hard to contemplate what these young "troopers" are battling through, he said.

"Some of them are fighting for their lives," Solomon said. "I think the tough part is when you come back the next year and you look for familiar faces and you hear one of them can't be part of the program."

He's joined in the commercial by Dane Goodall-George, a 13-year-old who endured 68 weeks of chemotherapy because of the tumours growing behind his eyes.

The Grade 7 student remembers snagging a catfish on his first fishing trip with Solomon. The fish was as long as he is wide. 

"He's a nice guy," he says of Solomon. "He's very generous."

Solomon has had a range of fishing partners, including military veterans and children with down syndrome, through volunteering with other charities. 

He expects to keep fishing with those who need a boost as long as he can.

"Any issues that we have is so small compared to them. When I take a look at them, I get strength from them."