Embracing Ability

 

The third and final stage of the Cross-Canada Bamboo Bicycle Expedition (BBE) is underway! Bernie and Ross drove from to Thunder Bay, Ontario where Ross finished Phase 2 of the expedition back in May. From here we will ride across Ontario, Quebec, Maine and finally dip our tires in the Atlantic at Saint John, New Brunswick.   Our starting point was the Terry Fox memorial just outside of Thunder Bay. Terry lost his right leg to cancer as a young man. Unwilling to be defined by this lost and his ongoing battle with cancer, Terry inspired generations of Canadians, when at the age of 22, he set out to run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research. In his “Marathon of Hope” Terry ran 26 miles per day from the Atlantic coast, reaching mile 3339 near the current memorial, where he was forced to stop. Terry passed shortly afterwards, on June 28, 1981. While his dream of completing the cross-Canada run was not fully realized, his heroic effort has raised tens of millions of dollars for cancer research.

It occurs to us that this amazing athlete set himself apart by focusing not on his disability, but on his ability...his ability to run immense distances, using a prosthetic leg...to achieve what had never been done before. We were recently sent a short video of a young man, a former dancer in Uganda, who, five years ago lost the use of his legs to disease. Like Terry, this young man now focuses on what he can do, performing beautiful dance routines, using a wheelchair made of bamboo. As you know, our Cross-Canada Bamboo Bicycle Expedition is a fundraiser with proceeds going to purchase wheelchairs and walkers for kids living with disabilities in Uganda. Our hope is that the recipients of these mobility devices will pursue their dreams and abilities to reach their full potential. Please support our efforts by making a donation through Embrace International and by following us on Facebook and Instagram. See details below, along with our targeted itinerary over the coming weeks. By the way, we are meeting lots of interesting people along the way…and asking three questions: What do you love about Canada? What do you love about where you live in Canada? Can you tell us a story about someone you know personally who is living with a disability? The answers have been pretty interesting! More to follow later and on Instagram and Facebook.

The Old Guys in Action Cross-Canada Bamboo Bicycle Expedition (BBE) is a fundraiser for Embrace International Foundation, a Canmore-based NGO that works with children living with disabilities in developing countries.  You can support our efforts through the BBE by donating at https://www.embracecanada.ca/donate. (Under "Fund?" select "Old Guys in Action Bamboo Bicycle Expedition".) Thanks! Follow us at OldGuysInAction.com, Facebook and Instagram