Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

21-Year-Old Cycling Across Canada For Alzheimer’S Research In Grandfather’s Memory

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Jul, 2018 12:37 PM
    HALIFAX — A young man is nearing the end of his 8,000-kilometre bike ride across Canada, an endeavour he began to honour his grandfather and raise money for Alzheimer's research.
     
     
    Skyler Roberts, who has raised nearly $2,000 for the Alzheimer Society of Canada so far, said his grandfather was diagnosed with the disease several years ago and died in January.
     
     
    "I didn't really notice it when it started, because it just started with him being a bit quiet, or repeating the same thing," said Roberts.
     
     
    "A few times we'd have a conversation, and as it went on you could see that he was really having trouble following conversations and starting to forget people."
     
     
    Originally from Brampton, Ont., the 21-year-old flew to British Columbia three months ago with his best friend, where they began their journey by dipping their feet in the Pacific Ocean.
     
     
    The two men recently arrived in Halifax, and Roberts said they have plans to bike up to Cape Breton and hop on a ferry to Port aux Basques, N.L., before making their way to their final destination of St. John's, N.L., where they'll finish their journey by dipping their feet in the Atlantic Ocean.
     
     
    Roberts said his grandfather came to Canada from India 50 years ago and fell in love with the country, so the trip seemed like a fitting tribute.
     
     
    "I think he'd be pretty proud of me," said Roberts, before adding: "I think he'd also think I was a little bit crazy for doing this."
     
     
    They hope to wrap up their trip by July 31: a hundred days after they left.
     
     
    "My grandfather lived to be 99, so we figured we'd go for 100," said Roberts.
     
     
    According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the disease is a major cause of dementia, which they say affects over 500,000 Canadians.
     
     
    In a written statment, society spokeswoman Rosanne Meandro said: "Most of us will be touched by Alzheimer's or other form of dementia at some point in our lives, so it's tremendously appreciated when Canadians of all ages and walks of life get behind this cause to raise much-needed awareness and funds for research."
     
     
    Before embarking on the trip, neither of them had any cycling experience, and Roberts said they were unsure if they would actually be able to do it.
     
     
    "We just said, 'Hey, let's see how far we can go,'" he laughed. "We've somehow made it this far and got some good muscles ... we're definitely cyclists now."
     
     
    The two men cycle during the day, and at night, Roberts said they either set up camp or stay with people in the towns they're travelling through.
     
     
    Before they took off, Roberts bet his cycling companion Mario Caicedo $20 that he wouldn't be able to complete the journey. With the end of their trip on the horizon, Caicedo said he looks forward to cashing in on that bet — but not as much as he looks forward to being back home.
     
     
    "It's been a long trip and I'm ready for it to be over, to go home and have my bed every day, as opposed to sometimes not knowing whether or not we'll be able to sleep inside," Caicedo added.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Toronto Boy, 13, Charged With First-Degree Murder After Cyclist Run Down, Stabbed: Police

    Toronto Boy, 13, Charged With First-Degree Murder After Cyclist Run Down, Stabbed: Police
    Aaron Rankine-Wright, 19, was struck late Saturday afternoon, three males got out of the vehicle and allegedly began assaulting him as he lay on the ground.

    Toronto Boy, 13, Charged With First-Degree Murder After Cyclist Run Down, Stabbed: Police

    Stolen Diamond-Studded Golden Eagle In B.C. Worth $930,450, Not $7M, Owner Claims In Lawsuit

    Stolen Diamond-Studded Golden Eagle In B.C. Worth $930,450, Not $7M, Owner Claims In Lawsuit
    Ron Shore's company Forgotten Treasures International Inc. has filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court against several insurers for denying his claim over the theft of the eagle.

    Stolen Diamond-Studded Golden Eagle In B.C. Worth $930,450, Not $7M, Owner Claims In Lawsuit

    Police Need Policy On 'Grievous Bodily Harm' Calls: B.C. Coroner's Inquest

    Police Need Policy On 'Grievous Bodily Harm' Calls: B.C. Coroner's Inquest
     Jurors who heard this week about a woman who spent four days paralyzed and dying inside her home in rural British Columbia say police and their dispatchers need to review how they handle serious calls.

    Police Need Policy On 'Grievous Bodily Harm' Calls: B.C. Coroner's Inquest

    Woman Must Pay Musician Ex-Boyfriend $350k For Sabotaging Coveted Opportunity

    Woman Must Pay Musician Ex-Boyfriend $350k For Sabotaging Coveted Opportunity
    TORONTO — A woman who sabotaged her boyfriend's highly coveted career opportunity apparently because she feared he would leave her for the United States has been ordered to pay him $350,000 in damages.

    Woman Must Pay Musician Ex-Boyfriend $350k For Sabotaging Coveted Opportunity

    Only Canadian Woman To Have Name Engraved On Stanley Cup, Sonia Scurfield, Dies

    Only Canadian Woman To Have Name Engraved On Stanley Cup, Sonia Scurfield, Dies
    CALGARY — Sonia Scurfield, the only Canadian woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup, has died at Foothills Hospital in Calgary at the age of 89.

    Only Canadian Woman To Have Name Engraved On Stanley Cup, Sonia Scurfield, Dies

    All Kids Should Get Vaccinated For Hepatitis B At Birth, Experts Say

    Currently, most provinces and territories immunize children against the liver-destroying virus when they are much older, including Ontario and Nova Scotia, which suggest children be vaccinated as late as 12 years old.

    All Kids Should Get Vaccinated For Hepatitis B At Birth, Experts Say