Paramedic Ride 2014

I don’t often ask readers to do me favours. Well, except for the times I’ve asked for donations to the annual Ride for Heart. Actually, I didn’t really see those donations as a favour to me. This, however, is a real favour. Today I’m asking you to get out and cheer on the cyclists participating in the Paramedic Memorial Ride. These cyclists will be pedalling their way through Carrying Place, Consecon, Hillier, Rosehall, Wellington, Bloomfield and Picton on Saturday September 20. The cyclists will be stopping to fuel up at the community centre in Picton, before making their way to Kingston—where they will spend the night —then on to Ottawa.

So why am I asking this favour? First, if you’ve ever been involved in an event that tested your physical and mental endurance, you will know how wonderful it is to hear cheers from the sidelines. Second, who among us hasn’t needed medical assistance from a paramedic, if not for ourselves, then for someone we care about? Paramedics came by our house to take my father to PECMH when he suffered a stroke while visiting us. Paramedics brought LOML to PECMH when he was experiencing heart problems. Paramedics brought me to St. Michael’s Hospital when I was injured in a cycling accident. Ironically, the accident happened during the Ride for Heart.

The second annual Paramedic Memorial Ride is a 600-kilometre, four-day journey. The group is a not-for-profit organization, run by volunteers. Some of the organizers and participants are paramedics, some are medics and a few happen to be nurses. Many are cyclists. A young friend, Mike Foley, is one of those cyclist participants. Many readers know Mike Foley. Mike lives in Picton and works as a paramedic in Belleville. Mike runs and cycles. He participates in a number of charity fundraisers. He’s a good guy. Mike takes the ride personally— it is near and dear to his heart.

The purpose of the ride is to raise awareness and funds to create a national memorial to paramedics who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Since 1988, thirty-six paramedics have been killed as a direct result of their work. The memorial will be constructed and erected in Ottawa and, organizers write, “will be a place where family, friends, colleagues and civilians can go to remember loved ones and honour all Canadian Paramedics.”

The riders aren’t asking you to make a donation. They just need a smiling face or 10 or 100 to cheer and wave flags along the way. A portion of each registration fee goes directly to the monument fund.

This is how organizers describe the event: “Paramedic Ride is not a race. There are no time trials. This is a memorial ride, a ride for paramedics and civilians to honour the fallen, experience the true spirit of the profession and to be part of something wonderful. This ride is about achieving your personal best. We cheer each other on. We encourage each other and congratulate one another on individual ride successes. But most of all, it’s fun! There is great pleasure in simply enjoying your immediate environment as you cycle along. Enjoy the scenery! Ride beside someone you only just met. The camaraderie that is built between riders is great and often turns into everlasting friendships.”

See you on the road, Saturday September 20.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca