Saskatoon is a modern city and expansion is evident when you walk, roll and drive through the downtown core. The river front location is most striking.

We stayed at the Delta Beswood in the Downtown area and were treated very well by the staff.
The restaurant was excellent and the Chef personally addressed our group during our breakfast on the last morning wishing us well and becoming yet another messenger.

Our news event was well attended by the media and Mayor Donald Atchison welcomed us warmly and was well versed on our journey and the magnificent scientific work being done by Dr Rathbone.

When Mayor Atchison learned of Charlies penchant for learning Canadian History he gave us a number of books on the local history which were well received by our group.

Thank you Mayor Atchison for receiving us personally and so warmly. Your friendly demeanor and interesting dialogue were most welcome by our group.

We met many wonderful people in Saskatoon and found our stay there far too short as there were many things to do there and sites to see.

The setting of the City along the river banks was beautiful as well as the many bridges spanning the river.

Saskatoon is a growing, vibrant city with much to offer and people living within that care.

The Athletes are doing well and are covering the 100 kms easily each day especially the days that they have the wind to their backs.

They work well as a team and are constantly concerned about the health and safety of their team members and insist that a team member take time off when not feeling well or when hurting from pushing too hard.

Every day we reaffirm that the team choice was the correct one and we have the rightr stuff to finish the journey.

The days have been long for us and a lot has happened on the road. There have been repairs to the hand cycles, adjustments to the brakes and the occasional flat tire to repair.

We did start out on our journey with a number of spare parts but those have been diminished and tubes have become in short supply. We thought we would be able to buy tires and tubes on the road but this has proven to be difficult due to the speciality nature of the tires and high pressure racing tubes we are using.

It has at times become necessary for us to patch holes in tubes until a suitable source could be found.
The roads have been brutal on our tires and the extreme vibration shakes everything loose and we are constantly tightening up mirrors and other accessory items. The bikes themselves have been bulletproof requiring only chain oiling and the normal derailer adjustments.

Driving across Canada as a support vehicle and shield for the bikes takes a toll on the equipment being used. The one Van has required constant adjustment to the wheelchair lift probably due to the vibration from wake up bumps on the shoulder and the broken condition of the paved shoulder.

We also had a flat tire on the trailer that I was able to plug myself once I pulled the nail out. But overall equipment problems have really been minimal.

As we approached our next stop things were different on the road. We had more people honking and stopping us to give encouragement as well as ask how to donate and the mood of the fab 4 was very upbeat.

We were travelling at least 100 km per day and some days when we took advantage of the tail wind we covered 130 km.

The Prairies were starting to grow on all of us and we travelled along in awe of the immense grain fields and large number of oil and gas wells dotting the country side. The flat land and gently rolling country side was a sharp contrast to the Rockies we had just travelled through and the guys really moaned when they encountered any kind of small grade. Remember these are the same guys that had just days earlier conquered the Rockies and Kicking Horse Pass.

It became evident to us that Canada was a special place of many changing landscapes and indescribable beauty and the people that make up Canada openly welcomed us to their towns and communities with open hearts and huge social conscience.

Our next scheduled news event was in Lloydminister a town rich in local culture and history.
We were welcomed by the Mayor Ken Baker who came out to meet us with an extended hand and very warm welcome to his town.

We had a wonderful meeting with the Mayor and talked about his community and the history and economy of the area.

Ken was typical Western Farmer in his attitude, mannerisms and friendly demeanor. You just felt at home in his town with his encouragement and kind words and conversation came easy.

While we were there it appeared to be tax payment time and people were coming and going and all seemed to know the Mayor well and he greeted them cheerfully and by name.

We were most impressed my Ken and his sense of community and caring.

Ken mentioned one member of the community that had lived outside in a more rural area. this gentleman was in an auto accident on his way home and is now in a wheelchair.

We asked Ken to tell this gentleman about us and to direct him to our web site so that he too would have hope and be a messenger like us.

We also had the pleasure to sign up two new young messengers Jamya Willment age 4 and Brandon Willment age 10 and I have included photos of them talking with us, inspecting the bikes and getting involved. It is the messengers like these that endear us the most and we all take the time to listen to their questions and provide the answers they deserve.Thanks guys for becoming a part of our busy day.

We would like to thank Ken for the wonderful Mugs he presented us with as well as the pins.

A special thanks for becoming a messenger and promoting our cause so that so many can benefit and have the hope to walk again.

Lloydminister is a beautiful city with a down home friendly atmosphere and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.

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Next stop on our journey was North Battleford where we were greeted and welcomed by Mayor Julian Sadlowski. Julian came out to greet us and sat down on the floor of our trailer in the doorway and immediately engaged in some warm western conversation.

Julian was straight forward and down home friendly and got right into the story telling about his town as only a proud resident could. As we asked questions we discovered that the friendly, modest man greeting us was multitalented and had an interest in the local history of North Battleford and had written several books about the history of the area and the Natives that lived in the area.

Julian also had a soft side and had also written children’s colouring books which he was very proud of.

While we chatted and basked in his down home unabashed hospitality the local press arrived for an interview of our group. We were at first quite surprised at his mode of transportation but after considering the current price of gas we felt he might be on to something as he needed no gas at all and his cost for tires was at least half of that on the guy’s wheel chairs and one third the cost of our hand cycles. He rode up on a unicycle. We were surprised at first then interested in his choice of travel.

We all had a great conversation and thoroughly enjoyed the meeting we had. Mayor Sadlowski also had a surprise for us and made a generous donation to Wheel to Walk Canada on behalf of his family. It is interesting that it was made on behalf of his family because we have discovered on this journey the importance of family, the love family provides and the support umbrella having a loving family around you provides. It was fitting that such a wonderful man as Mayor Julian Sadlowski provided us with the example of giving as a family or on behalf of the family because he obviously placed family first.

On this trip we the six messengers have also become like family to each other. There can be no secrets and nothing to hide from each other when we have all toiled so hard together. We have our differences but like family we have learned tolerancce for each other and have worked them out.

Like family we can discuss our goals and plan together how to achieve them and also like family when our goals or expectations cannot be met we have learned to rely on each other to get us through.

It is interesting to know that Mayor Julian Sadlowski spoke lovingly about his wife who encountered a medical problem some time ago and required surgery on her spine to repair an anomaly.

Unfortunately the procedure did not go well for her and she has not been able to walk since.
Having met her husband and experiencing his sense of family we know that she is in good hands with his care and love and we wish Mayor Julian Sadlowski and his wife the best and our prayers go out to the family so that our Canadian Doctors can come to a speedy conclusion on their clinical lab trials so that people like her can have the hope to walk again.

While in North Battleford Charlie was driving the Van because he is a very independent guy and he knows he drives better that we all do at least that is what he tells us.

Well I have to report to you that Charlie parked the trailer a little too close to the curb and got tangled up with a sign and the awning. If you remember I had the same misfortune in Victoria but my case was a little different as I was trying to make a very sharp turn onto another street at the time and was watching my trailer wheels and the curb but didn’t see that sign sneak up overhead and rip a very small tear on the awning.

Charlie wouldn’t let me live this down and I actually had to confess on this blog that I did it to get peace from Charlie.

Well in Lloydminister Charlie showed me how straight he could park that big trailer along a straight curb and unfortunately that same mirror I used tricked him into watching his tires on the trailer and the sign jumped out and really tore the awning. Now this time the sign really had a hold on the situation and if Charlie moved forward the awning just wedged itself tighter against the sign because the back of the trailer was higher.

I being Charlie’s friend offered immediately to help so I jumped out of the Van and immediately took a number of damming photos that clearly show that the trailer was parked close to the Curb, straight and yes the tear in the awning was very evident. I also had the presence of mind to get a picture of the driver because a picture is worth a thousand words. And did he ever look guilty.

So now I stand by my position that I did make a little tear in the awning but it was Charlie who destroyed it and there are no photos of my very, very small tear. At least this is my story and I’m sticking to it since I am now in possession of some very damning photo evidence.

To put things in perspective when I teased Charlie about the Town coming after him for the sign (which was already bent when we arrived) His position was the town should repair the awning because the sign was too low and too close to the curb. Charlie’s perspective is always different than ours.

The picture to the right says it all. Look at the look of guilt on this man’s face.

Both towns did not disappoint and we basked in the knowledge that our message was being spread by very dedicated, caring and socially conscious men. I’d like to thank both Mayors for their warm welcome, their attention during our delivery of our message and for becoming involved in making this miracle happen through their and their communities efforts.

As I have reported in past blogs we have had daily encounters with people who have someone close to them in a chair.

Sometimes these encounters are most bizarre and could only have happened if all the pegs on the board lined up in sequence to make it happen.

It is always most gratifying when we do have these special meetings to see the look of hope in the eyes of the recipient of our message knowing that today we made a difference in somebody’s life.

Firstly it is a very difficult job crossing Canada away from family and loved ones and our expectations are at times high and maybe not attainable.
Secondly just maybe our lines of communication are not perfecrt and things don’t get done that we thought had been done for us. After reading my blog again it became evident to me that I was unfair to the mayors offices in the larger cities.

The system of contact and meeting arrangements is a lot more difficult than in the smaller communities and the smaller communities can respond with a much shorter lead time. Apparently Calgary required 3 to 4 weeks lead time in order to get a meeting with the Mayors office and this I can respect but I still stand by my position that a councilor could have responded as had been done in some of the smaller communities.

As for the other cities again they required long lead times in appointments with the mayor and did not provide a substitute representative of any kind. Maybe they could in future requests at least acknowledge the messengers with a substitute representative with a sympathetic ear.

After having travelled so far and with such difficulties it was very disappointing for us not to have anyone meet us at all, not even the bylaw officer when we were illegally parked. We felt ignored and rejected.

I was raised in a small community and don’t really understand large communities and I apologize if I have been too hard on you but again all of the small communities we visited responded with something and did not dismiss us entirely.

I know that once you get to the big city phase everything becomes exponentially bigger and more complex. It would do well for the soul of the city to at least acknowledge the presence of four handicapped athletes giving so much of themselves to raise awareness and funds for such an important medical break through.

When I visited Vegreville I made a comment about the Mayor being the politician first in his response to our request and this I did not mean in a derogatory manner. I admired him for his candor and honesty in dealing with us.

He is a man of stature in his community, has lived an exceptional life and has outstanding credentials and putting his community first is a virtue all of us should strive to achieve.

Richard if you are reading this I want to thank you for meeting with us, listening to our story and sharing your hospitality with us and please motivate the community towards supporting this magnificent science so that people tied to their wheel chairs have the chance to walk again. With your enviable career in Teaching and Biology I know you will be a huge asset.

I apologize for my display of weakness in allowing my frustration to show through in my blog and I will attempt to control it in future blogs. It is very difficult to control emotions when so much is happening in such a short time, meeting so many people in need of this medical breakthrough and at times feeling so alone and unnoticed.

It is the many people we meet on the road who are just like you and I that carry our days to a successful completion. The people who voice encouragement to us for what we are doing, motorists stopping us on the highway handing us cash, pedestrians walking along the sidewalk emptying their pockets and giving us all the money they have and the many many motorists and truckers honking their horns and shouting out approval for what we are doing. Thank you for giving us the emotional boost we all need to make this Journey a success and thank you for becoming messengers to spread the message.

Jim Anderson, Wheel to Walk Canada, 905 869 6125

This was our kind of town, small, friendly and open to strangers. Ben welcomed us warmly to his town and the pride he held in his town was evident. Ben did his homework and had done some of his own research into spinal cord regeneration and shared it with us. We had a informative long chat and press interview for the local newspaper

Ben presented us with a huge fresh fruit tray that was beautifully done by Ben himself as he owned a catering business. We gratefully accepted his gift and cash donation tom our cause and thanked him for becoming a new messenger.

It is the warmth of a new found friendship and the reality of a stranger taking the time to talk with us as a friend that overwhelms us often on this Journey.

Thanks to ambassadors like Ben and the many Mayors before him along our route we are developing a strong Canadian Identity and realization of the caring, giving nature of all Canadians.

Talking with the reporter and Ben brought back fond memories of growing up back home as a boy and meeting and stopping to chat with friends and neighbours. It was fascinating to see that this tradition was still going strong in the west.

Ben please follow our Journey and work hard as a messenger because it is people like you and I that will make this miracle become a reality.

The day went quickly for us and we reminisced about home, our families and what Canada day meant to us.

We reflected on our Journey, where we were in Canada and how appropriate that we had visited a small town on the prairies. To us Canada is not about Big Cities but about all of these small caring communities who collectively work together to drive what we have all known to be Canada.

As I say good night I am sitting here thinking about how good Canada has been to me, about all I have taken in my life and about how little I have given back in return. With this thought I will go to bed only to rise tomorrow better focused and driven even harder to make this Journey a success so that I can start to give back to Canada for all that Canada has given to me.

Good night and tomorrow we will push on towards Saskatoon fueled by the wonderful people we are meeting on the road.

As a sub note to this post I would like to share another small story with you.

Charlie and I were tasked with driving 2 hours back to Vermillion today to meet with the Deputy Mayor and the press. We decided to disconnect the trailer from the Van to lesson the drag and make better time and burn half of the fuel.

As we drove along the highway we spotted a service garage that serviced Transport Tanker trucks that serviced the Oil and Gas wells in the area. When we pulled into the lot I went to the office which was locked so I went along the building to a side door, opened it and called to see if anyone was around. Remember this was a Holiday and not too many businesses were open. A man came out from behind a transport truck and I told him who I was and what we were doing and asked if we could park our trailer there for 3 hours. He said of course you can and then told us that his brother was a paraplegic and in a chair. I’ll leave you with this message and sometimes real life is stranger than words can describe. I know from our experiences we will never be the same again.

Goodnight

Firstly it sounds like the makings of a hit Song title to me that I personally could sink my teeth into and I’m sure a lot of truck driver’s families can relate to the title.

Secondly it has been a very busy six days since my last blog. We have since the great divide rolled through Calgary and were hardly noticed by the citizens of Calgary too busy with their day to day lives and the upcoming Calgary Stampede to take the time to notice 4 Paraplegics rolling through their town without a horse. Yes that’s right without a horse because we had asked to be included in their festivities for this years stampede but were turned down ( you guessed it )because we didn’t have a horse.

Not that these fine, courageous, brave, selfless gentlemen giving their time cranking special wheelchairs across Canada to bring attention to the need for 10 million dollars to fund this miracle science that will enable crippled spinal cord injury victims to walk again would not have wanted to could they have. You see they don’t have that option since they can’t walk but that will soon change with all of our help.

We did have two very special gentlemen from two TV Stations attend and take some video for TV and we thank them from the bottom of all our hearts for coming out, caring and making us feel good about what we are doing.

We understand that the Stampede is Important to Calgary but then again so was our message. The rats are walking again after having their severed spinal cords reattached and regenerated.

You would think that people who routinely climb onto the backs of sometimes cantankerous animals for a pleasure ride would be interested in a story about the miracles being performed at Hamilton’s McMaster Medical Center Hospital. I’m sure that more than a few of them have ended up on their heads on the ground and received spinal cord injuries and I bet these same people know at least a few of them that are now tied to a wheel chair. Our message was simple for just 30 cents per Canadian we can give them an insurance policy should they have the misfortune of severing their spinal cords. A policy that would give all of them a get out of jail free card so to speak should they have the misfortune of severing their spinal cords in a fall.

Christopher Reeve (Super Man) severed his spinal cord in a horse related accident and was a quadraplegic. I bet he would have liked to have heard our message before he committed to the experimental embryonic stem cell transplant therapy he under went in Israel. A therapy that because of the anti rejection drug therapy necessary for his body to accept the foreign embryonic tissue caused his demise due to a common infection.

The Mayor was understandably busy but couldn’t he have assigned a representative to meet with us.

Next time we will try to bring a horse. By then we will have proven the medical miracle using financial help from others with a bigger heart and huge social conscience and these unselfish men will then be able to stand up and walk. They may even get the chance to look the Mayor and the citizens of his town in the eye without them having to stoop to their level and ask they why they didn’t care enough to help.

I have said  before that the big cities are busy, they work to make ends meet and they don’t have time for the disadvantaged in their midst. I always equate them to being so busy and uncaring that they would step over their dead in the street and not notice the victim lying on their street so that they can meet a deadline in their lives.

Calgary didn’t disappoint us or our expectations in the big city and we moved on towards Red Deer to a completely different reception.

We stayed at the Motel 6 pictured on this blog. The staff’s courteous manner and attention to detail made our stay a special occassion. A special thanks to Motel 6 for the generous donation of rooms and for demonstrating that you have a huge coorporate conscience. Your facility was top notch and a must stop location for accomodations when you are in Red Deer.

The reception in Red Deer was hosted at the offices of the Canadian Paraplegic Society. This was an entirely different event for us in that it was arranged by local volunteers. Firstly Lorelei Fiset-Cassidy worked very hard on our behalf to make our news event special. Lorelei from the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce connected us with a meeting with the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Buck  Buchanan who gave us the official welcome to the city, acknowledged our efforts and commended the athletes for their initiative.

This is one politician we could all listen to. It was obvious that he was from a small town with a big heart and huge social conscience.

Next we were introduced to Red Deer South MLA Cal |Dallas who brought us greetings from the province. This was special for us in that it was the first recognition on this trip from a provincial Government Official and it was most welcomed from our group.

When we were introduced the team cyclists asked me to speak first and I must say that for the first time on our tour I felt relaxed during my presentation. I felt that I was amongst friends. Not only were they friends but they were friends with a social conscience.

It was easy to speak to them about our mission, about us being six messengers that needed their help to deliver our important message and it felt so good speaking to such a  large gathering looking them in the eye as I spoke and knowing that I had true friends and allies with us on our journey.

This was a special meeting much like the meetings in Kelowna and Golden where we had others come out to meet and speak with the four athletes who shared the same type of injuries and handicaps that our four athletes shared.

After our athletes were introduced we fielded questions about the trip and athletes backgrounds then after the meeting we stayed around to answer questions with the other persons in chairs and with neurological disabilities.

We especially enjoyed giving those that wanted an opportunity to ride one of our bikes and what a wonderful feeling watching the smiles and gleam in the eyes of individuals inflicted with such debilitating injuries.

Paulette Vanoosterom,  Special Event/Fund Development Coordinator with the Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) also worked very hard to host this event on short notice.

We all enjoyed meeting the attendees of this event and I hope you all will keep in touch with us on our journey.

A very special thanks to Tom Klodt, Paulette and Loerelei for your efforts and hosting a successful event. Please continue to fund raise on our behalf and next time we pass through your kind caring town the athletes all hope to be walking.

After red Deer we moved on to Edmonton where we were to meet the press at the Town Hall.

The trip from Red Deer for the most part was uneventful with just the usual horns honked and people hollering encouragement as we travelled along their highways.

Near Edmonton we encountered a brief storm and the bikers pulled off to the side to sit out the high winds and hail.

We are prepared for all kinds of weather and the guys were suited up in their special rain gear. The storm persisted for what seemed like an eternity but was actually less that 20 minutes. At first the guys decided to stay on their bikes because of the difficulty transferring from them into their chairs and then into the chair lifts into the Van.

Harvey in his wisdom and partly because of his staunch British upbringing had an umbrella along. When we caught up to them we got a picture that we want to share with all of you of Harvey with his prominent proper British pinkie held out straight with its very own plastic splint, you have to note his now very stiff upper lip and of course true to his British background Chuck holding the umbrella over them. We were all laughing so hard at the sight of Chuck holding Harvey’s Umbrella that we couldn’t load them into the recovery vehicles.

The team are really close and do look out after each other and Chuck well what can I say, Chuck is at times just amazing. Being around Chuck reminds me of my years growing up on the Farm where everybody did what they could do to lighten your load and no one was allowed to stand around with nothing to do. My Father would ask why are you standing around doing nothing and if we told him there was nothing to do he would reply. “If you  can’t find something to do on the farm then you aren’t looking hard enough because on the farm there is always more to do.

This sums up all that Chuck is about. Raised in a Family of 10 kids he always finds something that he can do to help us and to make our day easier. He helps lift the heavy tailgate on our trailer, lessening our workload. He carries bags to our rooms on his lap on the wheelchair and he does my laundry when he sees I am overwhelmed with workload.

In my eyes I see Chuck differently than what you or others might see him. Chuck isn’t handicapped, He just can’t walk.

In Edmonton another large city we again failed to connect with the Mayor’s Office and were left to fend for ourselves with the public and the media.

There was some other more worthy event in the city of which I am not privy to and the media, the mayor and all of the mayor’s deputies were occupied to the point that they couldn’t spare us 10 minutes of their time to hear our message.

I am still left wondering each time we encounter so much indifference to human suffering and social need why these people run for public office.

It should be a high priority on their resumes for public office to include the need for a social conscience yet each time we arrive in a large city we encounter politicians with no social conscience and no heart.

I hope their other event went well and I hope that they scored the political points I’m sure they calculated they would receive by attending the other event to totally exclude ours and totally miss the important message we were delivering to them.

Anyway in case some of my readers wish to forward my message on to these political misfits and try to help them develop a social conscience here it is for you to forward.

The Rats are walking. Scientists at Hamilton’s McMaster Medical Center have successfully reconnected the severed spinal cords on lab rats and the rats recovered and are walking.

The operation to reconnect the severed spinal cord uses a section of small intestine from your own body (Therefore there is no rejection of the tissue used) to harvest and culture a special type of nerve cells that can be trained into becoming developed spinal cord re-connective nerve tissues.

These cells which are a type of juvenile stem cell grow to reconnect the severed spinal cord. The doctors are also using a compound also found within your own bodies called guanosine to stimulate the adult stem cells found within the spinal cord to grow and develop into cells that insulate the spinal cord.

In effect the doctors have repaired spinal cord damage on lab rats and the Rats are walking. Humans can also receive the same treatment but first Lab Clinical trials must be conducted and this will cost a lot of money.

10 million dollars is needed immediately so that Dr Rathbone and his team can complete these trials on Humans. 3 million  dollars alone is needed just for the lab equipment necessary.

We challenge this mayor and the city of Edmonton to raise the equivalence of 30 cents for each member of your community. If very citizen gave us 30 cents we can reach our goal of 10 million dollars.

Despite the dismal showing of the media and government officials we had a very successful meeting at Edmonton City Hall. Paulette Vanoosterom from the Canadian Paraplegic Association arranged for her counterparts in Edmonton to meet with us at City Hall.

Guy Coulombe Manager of client services (Edmonton) arranged for several members to meet with us beside the City Hall.

The group was small due to short notice but it was grand.

We met with the Canadian Paraplegic Officials and were well received by them.  Among their group was Ken Thomas. Ken is an Olympic medal winner . Ken competes in run wheeling and has done so since 1979. After the meeting I received an email from Ken giving us encouragement. Please check out Ken’s site at www.backwheeler.ca.

Just for the record Ken can go faster backwards in his wheelchair @ 12 km/hr than most of us can walk. He practices around the UofA and does 12 km a day. I warned our guys to watch their rear view mirrors for Ken because we don’t want Ken showing these guys up blasting by them in reverse
It was really nice meeting Ken with the group.

We also talked with Edgar Jackson, Client Services Coordinator for the Canadian Paraplegic Association and owner of Safety One 2001 Inc. Edgar it was nice meeting you and I hope you will keep in touch with us on our journey and become another messenger to spread the message.

You can start on your journey with us by passing our contact message ahead along our route to other cities with offices in the Canadian Paraplegic Society so that we can meet as many handicapped people as possible during our journey. Have them call me on my cell phone or email me to set up meetings and we will be there. We enjoy meeting others with disabilities and would like to give them the opportunity to hear our message directly from us.

We also would like to thank Guy Coulombe for advertising our news event and meeting us as well.

Another special meeting for us was with Daniel Palamarek B.A.(Hons), LLB Legal Advisor, Assistant Deputy Minister’s Office Aboriginal Relations, Consultation and Land Claims. Danial is the epitome of what can be accomplished by a person with a spinal cord injury. Thanks for the opportunity to meet with you Daniel and we will push hard to reach our goal of 10 million dollars so that possibly you and I can walk together and talk.

There is so much that all of us can learn from an inspirational person like yourself.

We left Edmonton with mixed thoughts and reflected on the individuals all in chairs that we had just met. I know from talking to the athletes that their cranking across Canada was a small hurdle compared to the hurdles that all of these men have already crossed in dealing with their injuries.

Everyday in a wheel chair is a challenge, getting in and out of vehicles, taking a shower, getting a motel room in which they can use the bathrooms.

What rocket scientist designs motels with doors that open inward against the bathtub. The bathrooms for the most part are small and people in wheelchairs need to be able to access the washrooms in their chairs, place themselves beside the toilet to transfer onto it. Taking a bath or shower is impossible if they cannot get the chair inside the room and close the door. If they could transfer onto the toilet then how do they get into the tub with the door in the way. To close the door the wheelchair has to be pushed outside and then how do you get it back inside after you get out of the tub. Magic just won’t do it for you.

Our last stop[ in this segment of our journey was Vegreville. Vegreville is one of the most beautiful towns we have discovered. It is small about 5000 people and it is clean with well maintained streets and buildings.
Unfortunately Vegreville suffered a major fire as we were driving into town we could see the smoke rising from within the town. The press of course was covering this major event and did not cover our meeting with the mayor.

We met with the mayor outside the town offices Richard Coleman. He was a pleasant person to speak to and we challenged him and his town to become messengers and to try to commit 30 cents on behalf of every member of his community.

Richard speaking as the politician said he would review or site and would explore what avenues were available to get involved. He also is a Rotarian said he would investigate that venue as well.

Even though the non committal politician shone through we felt that Richard displayed the traits of the community he served and his caring nature and huge social conscience stood out in our conversation. His first commitment was to his community and to us strangers he gracefully lent us his ear and kind words as we departed saying he would make no promises but would investigate what could be done within the community to give us financial support and more than that we could not ask at this time.

Again this is the kind of response we expected from a small caring community. Richard Coleman met with us, he listened and he committed to get involved by approaching the service clubs etc. We understand that small communities aren’t always flush with surplus cash and do not expect them to raise taxes in their communities in order to support our cause.

Vegreville is a beautiful town and I could easily find myself living there because of the people we met and the simple beauty of the town.

Thank you Richard for listening and becoming yet another of our messengers.

It’s Late, I have some pictures to attach but will do that tomorrow as it is a long process to do it properly and I will need my good friend Mark Vandermaas to take me through my training exercise one more time on Picture insertion 101.

If anyone is driving around Saskatchewan and sees the guys on the road open your windows so you can hear Chuck sing. He’s actually having fun gliding along the highways enjoying what Canada has to offer even in the 85 degree f heat.

Good night all and I promise I will blog again tomorrow night thanks to a major restructuring of my tasks.

It didn’t help when the locals we so often stopped to chat with scared the hell out of us with their description of the Kicking Horse Pass and the steep grades and winding roads. By the time we started our final assault were were psyched right out. Now I look back and wonder if just maybe they all walked away from us with a mischievous chuckle knowing the hook was set. This is something that neither Charlie nor myself would admit to ever being guilty of doing. Right charlie.

We split the team on the steepest mountains and as we departed Vernon and moved on to our next stops everyone was upbeat and the excitement of our accomplishments was hard to contain.

We already had the ear of the local press and everywhere we went people stopped to talk, accepted our challenge to become messengers and now almost everyone passing in cars was honking and waving.

After Vernon it was on to Sicamous where we were graciously met by Mayor Marie March. 

We had a very interesting meeting and were able to let Marie go for a run on one of the cycles. By the laughter and smiles all around it was evident that Marie’s charm and kind giving nature again fueled the fires inside the four athletes giving them yet another emotional boost to lift them up the immense grades of the mountains in the great divide.

Thanks Marie for an enjoyable evening and thank you to the community for the generous donation you gave us during our meeting.

The next morning we left Sicamous and pushed on to Revelstoke where we met with acting mayor David Raven.

Revelstoke is just another of the many small communities with a heart that we passed through on our journey through BC.

As we talked it was evident that something wasn’t just right in our conversation. We gave our usual message of the Miracle Medicine conducted in McMaster University Medical Center, we talked about the research www.wheeltowalkcanada.org, and we challenged the Acting Mayor to have his town donate the equivalent to 30 cents for each citizen in the community. We asked him to become a messenger just like us.

We we opened up our informal chat to the media attendee and started to answer questions. Dave interrupted and stated that maybe we would want to hear his story.

He then told us about his son who was 6 foot 2 and dove into 18 inches of water and injured his spinal cord. His son is now in a wheelchair and is a Quad which means he has no use of his fingers and limited use of his arms.

We asked if we could meet with his son to deliver a message of hope to him directly but Dave said he lived independently in Kelowna.

We were all choked up by this story and offered Dave and his son moral support and encouraged him to check out our web site and refer the information to his son.

We would like to learn more about Dave and his son and their struggle and tell their story. We also had a chance encounter with a Quad at our meeting in Kelowna. He was 6 foot 2 tall and was in a chair living independently.

Thanks Dave for sharing this story with us and we encourage your son to view the web site and if you have any questions email me mij@sympatico.ca or phone 905 869 6125. We will be glad to talk with you and help out in any way we can.

The next stop on our busy schedule was in Golden BC where we were received well by the community.

Radio show host Gary Irving from the local radio Station interviewed Harvey and Myself and became a messenger that day delivering a message of hope to a lot of people suffering in their chairs.

Through Gary’s on air message and support our tides were changing and the recognition the radio coverage gave us was evident by the reactions of passing motorists and the man on the street.

Thank you Gary for being a part of your community, caring, having a heart and being one of our messengers.

The Mayor Jim Doyle was a most interesting and genuine gentleman. He spoke well about his community and the history of it.

Our meeting was held on the only covered pedestrian bridge in Canada and it was wonderful as the river rushed beneath our feet and the community went about their business crossing the bridge on their daily routines. The bridge is constructed of massive wooden beams and was completed on 911 by a team of international contractors.

Thankyou Jim for being a friend and becoming yet another of our messengers. I’m sure a strong voice like yours will help our cause and the Irish accent will add dimension to the message you spread.

We then travelled up over the mountains from Golden and conquered the final frontier passing through Kicking Horse Pass into Lake Louise. You can only imagine the one liners coming through kicking horse pass by these four jokesters. Comments like were kicking a** in Kicking Horse pass. Kinda rhymes doesn’t it.The humour, excitement and determination were infectious as these four courageous men hand peddled up over the last major hurdle of our BC leg of the journey.

We all sighed a big sigh of relief as we passed the border of BC into Alberta and glided downhill towards Lake Louise and Banff.

Along the way there were many trials and tribulations. We encountered some rain, fog and boy was it cold at times. I bet Chuck wishes he hadn’t of shaved his head.

The guys were like children as they savoured all that Canada had to offer. Les’ close encounter with a huge Elk and the antics of the Prairie Dogs. Game and wild life were in abundance and didn’t go unappreciated.

Half our team disappeared in Banff and we found out later had gone up the ski lift to the top of a mountain for lunch then on to a well earned dip in the hot springs. The excitement last night was infectious and most enjoyable. This is surely the trip of a lifetime for Chuck and should inspire all persons tied to their wheel chairs to follow Chuck’s example.

We had finally passed on away from the intimidating mountains of Kicking Horse Pass and the four now even more determined men peddled their specially modified wheel chairs on into Alberta passing through Lake Louise.

The trek through BC was tough and we expect it to be the worst of our journey. Right from the start in Victoria at mile 0 on the trans Canada highway it was the people we met along the way, those that shared their stories with us about loved ones and friends in chairs and the look of hope we saw in the faces of them that gave us the motivation to succeed in our adventure. These folks were the adrenalin that took these breve men high over the mountains allowing them to soar like the eagles and live a dream.

I am sorry for the delays in some of my blogs but I am running on such a sleep deficit that at times I wake up to see a series of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s across my screen and I can tell by the number of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s I have to erase how log I had napped.

I have taken on a huge project and have a lot of minor duties to perform at times all at the same time and something has to slide so that I get at east 4 hours sleep. I am enjoying my adventure, have experienced a lot of emotion, met a lot of new friends and will have memories to cherish for life.

I am glad to be a part of this project to make a miracle happen so that all those I have met will have a second chance and be able to Walk Again Just like the rats.

Jim Anderson, Wheel to Walk Canada, http:/www.wheeltowalkcanada.org. 905 869 6125

Kelowna is a special place to us in so many ways. The Hospitality was amazing. The Motel posted a sigh to Welcome Wheel to Walk, people were friendly, the car show that welcomed us into their midst (Thank you Boyd) and we cannot forget the Hospital that cared for Harvey.

The Doctor who cared for Harvey was Dr Stan Valnicek Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. HE was very helpful in treating Harvey and took the extra time in dealing with the injury so that Harvey would retain that proper British pinky. He even finished the needle point and final bandaging on Harvey’s finger rather than following the normal procedure of letting an assistant do it for him.

Harvey said he couldn’t help but notice how this caring individual conducted himself with his other patients and went the extra nine yards for them.

Harvey was most assured when Dr Valnicek contacted associates in His profession in Golden and Canmore to follow up on this injury to afford HArvey outstanding medical care.

Dr Valnicek shared with .Harvey that he would do a ride for cancer to Vancouver this summer by bike inspired by our athletes cross Canada Trek.

Thank you Dr Valnicek for Caring. and went out of their way to assist us

We also owe a special thanks to the Holiday Inn Express for their outstanding hospitality. The staff extended every courtesy to us.

When we were leaving we wanted to send a Wheel to Walk T Shirt to Dr Valnicek as a memoir of our encounter and a way of saying thanks.

In our usual rush we decided to get the hotel to send it over by Taxi for us because of the trailer we were towing.

The Lady at the front desk took the T Shirt and Note and said we don’t need money for the taxi I will deliver it myself for you.

Again thanks Kelowna you are a very special place and God Bless.

Jim Anderson, mij@sympatico.ca, 905 869 6125

The brakes on the tow vehicle heated up pretty badly onMonday and we took the Van in for an inspection.

Canadian Tire in Kelowna did the inspection for us and went way out of their way to accomodate our schedule. The service was great and the best part the Manager did not charge us for the inspection.

The good news was that the brakes were ok and the only thing the overheating did was polish the brake rotors to a mirror shine.

The guys have been tearing down the mountains in an almost constant downhill run and the uphills have been fairly sane. Chuck and Less left home without their rain gear on Tuesday June 17 and guess what we got our first real hard rain since we left Vancouver.

It was their own fault they got their as*** wet because by Murwillphy’s law if you forget your rain gear it will rain and come down in buckets. We have all agreed to from now on carry our rain gear and put up with that inconvenience so it wont rain on us again.

We have seen so many amazing things on this trip. Many mountain waterfalls, the multitude of lakes throughout the valley and the beautiful communities we have visited along our way.

We have met with many Mayors and their counter parts and each and everyone of them has treated us well and accepted our challenge to become messengers just like us. The list of messengers is growing and the word has to be spreading like a mountain wildfire.

We have passed through and met with the Mayor or their designates in Princeton, Keremos, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon and Sicamos.

A special thanks to all of our new messengers from each of these cities.

Princeton Deputy Mayor Maria Sadegur was gracious, genuinely interested and encouraging of our endeavour. Thankyou Maria for your support and we will be looking for you on your return from Ottawa when we pass through Thunderbay.

Walter Despot Mayor of Keremos deserves some kind of medal for comming out to meet us on a Sunday. He is a most genuine gentleman with down home charm and sincerity. We enjoyed our visit to your town, happy gardening and clothes don’t make the man. (That’s the Farmer in me Speaking out). We especially enjoyed knowing that Walter was a retired Pharmacist and had the knowledge to grasp the magnitude of the McMaster discovery. Walter I would like to come through your town again some day and see that Garden you were working on when you so graciously left your work to accomodate us.

Penticton was another wonderful stop and we enjoyed the reception from Mayor Jake Kimberly.

Jake left his council meeting to come out to the Lawn beside the Town Hall to meet with us. We got a good photo opp and had a very good conversation with mayor Jake Kimberly.

Thanks for you ear to hear our message and thanks for your kind words and encouragement.

We were met in Kelowna by Mayor Sharon Sheppard who charmed us all with her sincerity, grace and kind words.

Kelowna is a beautiful City and is busy making everything right for the handicapped. I guess that is why so may retirees move to Kelowna to live on retirement.

Mayor Sheppard had arranged to have other paraplegics and people with disabilities meet with us during our meeting.

We stayed longer than we had planned because of the friendliness  and candor of all who attended. The folks with the chairs pleased us because we were able to talk directly to each of you and give our message of hope for your future. Remember the lab rats are walking again after their severed spinal cords were reattached and regenerated.

With a caring Mayor like Sharon I especially felt peace and happiness because I now know that my brother with his Parkinson’s has a good caring community to live in with good facilities  to accommodate his needs. 

Thank you Kelowna for caring and being a good place to live.

Next we stopped in Vernon and met with Acting Mayor Buffy Baumbrough.

Buffy met us with all of her charm and sincerity. She had already researched our site and was a better messenger than we were for our message. She was well versed on who and what we were and was a gracious host representing her city. She handled her position well and impressed us with her candor and straight way of talking in a down home friendly way.

We all felt welcome and enjoyed our meeting.

I understand that she was standing in for the mayor while he was away. He’d better be careful and not stray too far from the trough lest Buffy takes over the ship. I’m just kidding I think the real Mayor could probable beat her in an arm wrestle but he’d better watch his back lest her charm catch him off guard.

Buffy thanks for your kindness, your grace and sincerity. As I said at our meeting you are a messenger just like us and your voice matched with all ours in unison will help us get the attention we all need to raise the funds we need to complete this research.

God Bless and Thanks

As an aside while in Vernon we had several very special events happen for us. Firstly we stopped at a restaurant called Peppers Grill. When we sat down the owner Tracy Lambeth-Scott came over and said are you the guys crossing Canada in Wheelchairs for Spinal Cord research?

She then told us the dinner was free and that we could have anything on the menu. While we ate she was on the phone calling associates trying to help us out. We couldn’t help but notice that she had assumed the position of messenger even before we offered her a job.

Tracy then told us that we were to eat at her restaurant every day while in the area. We also met the whole great staff at Peppers and the food was outstanding especially that great Strawberry Shortcake. www.peppersgrillevents.com Special thanks to the whole staff Brittany, Jessica, Nicole, Carol, Christine and of Course Sarah. Thanks for making us feel like we were at home. We loved you guys and thanks for becomming messengers, Now get off your butts and get to work spreading the message like the rest of us.

As an aside to our wonderful experience in Vernon our team got to meet your team. That is the wheel chair tennis club. Yea that’s right the wheel chair tennis club. I wouldn’t want to challenge any one of them to tennis. They’d beat me.

Wednesday was a good day for us. We got to rest and met with the Mayor of Sicamous. Mayor Loraine March was one elegant host for our visit.

She asked the right questions, listened with a sympathetic ear and made us feel so at home in her town.

We were excited when she hopped onto one of the bikes for a ride around the parking lot. With a little more practice she could join our team for the rest of our incredible journey. In fact she has and is actually the latest new messenger we have recruited on our journey. Lorraine thanks for the generous donation we received from your town and may god bless your wonderful community.

The press at every stop was interested and considerate in their questions but our guys will answer any in a frank but candid way.

It is late, 12:30 and I’m up again at 6:00 am. I’ll end my blog tonight with this message.

All of our athletes are safe and well. Harvey is itching to get back on the road but not yet as far as we are concerned. If I can find a piece of road that is flat and straight we may let him take a short run by the weekend. Our concern is the immense strain on the arms and hands pumping up the mountains and it won’t hurt the team at all if Harvey takes a few days off even though he has been our anchor and the rock foundation of our journey.

We are now pushing back up into the high mountains of the Canadian divide and the views are spectacular. We will be spending a lot of time driving and backtracking at night for accommodations.

Please stay posted for our posts. I took a spin on one of the bikes today around a large parking lot at our hotel. After my fourth circle around the lot I heard one of them say look at him go. As I passed his position I  yelled how do you stop this thing implying that the only reason I was still moving was I didn’t know how.

The bikes really motor and it is a rush even on a relatively flat parking lot.

I envy the 4 kids in our group that get to go on the ride and Journey of a lifetime.

We have spectacular photos of the entire journey. Mine are at times limited because of all the other duties I have to do loading, unloading tweaking the bikes and getting the athletes off and on the road on time.

We will pool all of our digital photos at the end and save them to a DVD which we will use to post a photo record of our tour.

Take care and thanks for following our journey.

Jim Anderson www.wheeltowalkcanada.org

It says so much about what we are doing and gives some examples of how to become a part of our effort that I have asked permission to reprint  it verbatum in this blog.

I’d like to apologize to my Caring, generous fellow Canadian for my blunder and hope that you will dig in with both feet and give us the big shove we all want and need.

I asked to post your email because you obviously have extensive media experience and can say what needs to be said far more eloquently than I can.

Thanks for the email and please post often we would all like to hear from you.

June 14, 2008

Dear Jim,

I just had to write to wish you all well, but also to let you know that the word IS starting to spread.  Below are two emails, one I sent, and another my friend sent to her contacts when she forwarded my own.

I just received a humorous response to my email from my sister who said she is pledging $30 – or as she put it, “30 cents for 100 stingy Canadians out there”.  Cute, huh? 

I will be donating $100 on the Mac site each and every time you cross a provincial border.  I want you and the athletes to know this now in these early days when the momentum is only starting to build, and you need every scrap of encouragement and support you can get.

Jim, I am praying for the health and safety of all of you as this is an adventure not without its risks.  But then, these guys know all about risks, huh? Thank you for the blog that assures us daily that you are all in one piece.  Take care, and Godspeed.  

My friend’s email, and then my own follow:

This email was sent to me by a very dear friend. The spinal cord research discussed below looks so promising and close; its success would mean so much to so many. The website and video are really worth a look, and you may want to make a donation – large or small. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see this come to fruition in our lifetime?    

My friend’s email starts here:  

Dear Friends and Family:

http://www.wheeltowalk2008.org 

Please, please, take a look at this short video and interesting first-hand account (blog) on this website about four wheelchair athletes on their trip across Canada which has now begun in B.C.  This fun-loving and determined team is raising public awareness and funds for stem cell research at McMaster University where rats with spinal cord injuries are NOW WALKING. All that’s needed is a mere 10 million dollars — or 30 cents from each Canadian – to complete the stem cell research which WILL result in human spinal cord regeneration.

In far less time than you take to read this message, the next spinal cord injury or other neurological tragedy (e.g. Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, ALS etc.) will have struck someone, somewhere.  That individual could be you or a person YOU deeply love. Virtually every family is affected by a serious neurological problem at some point.  It is a concern we all need to own.

Your donation is easy to make on the website. The very smallest donation is infinitely better than none.  Please take a moment to advance this important research. 

Also, would you kindly forward this email to all of your email contacts so the Wheel to Walk 2008 cross-country marathon gets the national publicity and support it deserves.  You may want to follow the blog over the next four months as this ambitious journey continues.  

Please, let’s get this news to as many Canadians as possible by forwarding this email along.  Let’s spread it like wildfire! 

Looking forward, along with you, to a world without Spinal Cord Injury; MS; Alzheimer’s; Parkinson’s; etc. etc. -  and to  an end to the overwhelming grief and suffering they create.

Thank you for listening — and even more, for giving even the very smallest amount. 

(PS: I’d be happy to forward change, cash, or cheques for anyone and ensure tax receipts are provided.) 

Again Thanks for this amazing email

Jim Anderson, Road Manager and Media Contact, 905 869 6125 mij@sympatico.ca

The day was beautiful, cool but not cold, windy but again not too windy and it was sunny. To date the trip has been uneventful weatherwise since we left Vancouver behind. The runs through the mountains have been difficult but with the resolve of our determined athletes not too difficult to make them submit to failure. 

The excitement of the athletes was infectuous after each run down the long mountain inclines especially after watching them sometimes struggle to reach the tops of the tallest mountains.

You and I could simply get off the trike and push it along when we could no longer peddal.

These guys don’t have that option and must struggle to twist the pedals so to speak to reach the top.

Each day has gotten better as they became accustomed and worked themselves into shape. The athletes recognized their limitations and it became evident that the countless hours spent training by Harvey paid off when he faced the tallest of the mountains.

The other three athletes worked up gradually to be able to handle the tallest mountains and knew enough to approach their limits carefully so that they would not cause themselves any permanent damage.

By today most were reaching their physical limitations and were ready to move up to the next level. As support and an observer I have been amazed at the spirit and drive that these athletes possess when faced by road inclines that to me seem impossible to climb. I share in their trials and their successes and especially enjoy watching these free spirits glide effortlessly down some of the 10 to 20 km inclines with the sun and wind in their faces.

As a team we all feel the hurt and the excitement of each accomplishment achieved. I would be lying if I told you it wasn’t difficult. It is and these guys are true heros for doing what they are doing together to make a difference.

The athletes were especially upbeat after several encouraging meetings with the Mayors and their representatives along our route.

In the mountains we have a routine of pain share and fun share and the rule is if the athlete does all of the work and pain to climb a mountain and conquer it he has the right to the free ride down the other side. And oh what a ride.You can’t imagine the look of satisfaction and excitement in the eyes and faces of these amazing men as the run the trails in the mountains.

Truckers honk, people shout out encouragement and we the messengers become a much larger group as others join in to make our voices stronger and the message more widely spread.

The athletes after 5 days on the road are finally showing that they have been conditioned to the rigors of the mountains and are really atarting to show their stuff. They were particurlarly proud of the fact that they knew enough to not exceed their limitations and have so far avoided strain injuries and pulled tendons.

We met many interesting people again today and sometimes we chat too long and fall behind a little making it necessary to catch up,

At the end of the day Harvey was still on the road and he elected to run beyond his Normal 2 hour limit because of the long downhill run of approximately 20 km facing him.

You have to understand that it is not all work riding the mountain roads and there are a lot of places where they get a free ride enjoying the rush of silently gliding down winding mountain roads with the wind in their faces enjoying the spectacular view. Lets be honest it is a bit of a rush streaking down these mountains. they also get a spectacular view of some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen. Scenery beyond simple description, while winding along the roads.

Harvey has trained the most for this trip and is at this time the strongest when climbing hills and endurance, Chuck had strained his shoulders and knew enough to pull himself off the road for the rest of the afternoon and Charlie and Les were gradually building up their endurance after being away from training for several weeks, were comming up to speed. The team was starting to look good.

Harvey had just completed 70 km himself in two shifts of 2 hours each and was due to stop at the top of a very long mountain incline. Today was a relatively easy day since there wern’t too many long uphill inclines to climb and Harvey was excited and wasn’t tired compared to previous days from hell enduring long climbs.

The trail was easier with many long downhill runs and few climbs in the up and down flowing ribon of highway facing them.

Harvey now sat at the top of the grandady of hills extending almost 20 km into Penticton after climbing several short hills to get there and we knew he wouldn’t give it up for anything. I would have given anything to be able to enjoy the thrill of the ride they were on.

Harvey said he was going to ride this road into town because it looked like the ride of a lifetime. As Harvey started down the hill we went ahead to position ourselves ahead of him as we had done many times before.

After several wide turns in the road I asked Charlie to stop the van on a wide shoulder so I could get a picture of Harvey comming down the hill.

I junped out of the van and positioned myself just past a curve in the road and waited for Harvey.

Two motorcycles came speeding around the corner just as Harvey got there and startled Harvey when they came too close to him.

For reasons unknown the cycle started to wobble and Harvey lost control and rolled it on it’s side.

The cycle Harvey rides has verticle hand grips that host the brakes and gear shifter and hese grips are made of metal.

When Harvey rolled over the grip slammed into his significant British pinky finger. The injury sustained was a dislocated pinky finger.

When I took Harvey into emergency he was more concerned about the mission and only wanted to get back on the road.

He was treated and released on Saturday and was sent to Kelona on Sunday for a plastic surgeon to reattach the tendons torn from his pinky.

Harvey also sustained what we refer to as road rash which occurs when one skids down an ashphalt road without benifit of either wheels or skis.

This normally occurs on ones poserior but Harvey’s was safely straped to his bike so his arms and shoulders took the punishment leaving Harvey with numerous road burns.

Harvey now holds the title as the first person to receive road rash on the trip and I’m sure someone will come up with an appropriate trophy for him when our trip reaches completion.

From the start we all knew the risks and they are discussed at each day’s briefing.

We are cognizant of the traffic, the steep hills and even have imposed speed restrictions on the athletes.

TRhe bike Harvey trides has been tested to 80 km and Harvey was doing about 4o km per hour when he decided to tip over scaring the hell out of me.

I discovered that at 60 years old I could sprint up 40 yards of mountain highway without needing oxygen and resusitation on arrival.

Today the kind caring nature of Canadians shone through and their penchant to want to help was more than evident.

Many vehicles stopped to help us and even a transport truch stopped on the steep grade to assist us.

A special thanks to the truck driver and the coouple on vacation that stopped to help us get harvey off the road shoulder and back into his wheel chair.

During all of this Harvey voiced concern about the mission we had to complete and not once did he show any concern for himself and his injuries,

    Harvey is now off for a couple of days to mend and will resume cycling when the swelling goes away.  He has the stamina and desire to push on without due care for himself because of the importance of our journey but the reality is that Harvey is on the sides until we are sure the hand is on the mend and Harvey will be well soon.

Harvey is far to valuable as a team member and friend for us to allow him to jeprodise his health and well being by getting back on the road too soon.

He’ll be accusing me of mothering him soon because I am all over him about taking his medications and standing down for a few days. Believe me standing down is not one thing that Harvey likes to do.

From the start of our journey we all knew the risks and they are discussed each day as part of our briefing on safety and routings.

We are cognizant of the traffic, the steep hills and have even imposed speed limits on the athletes to mitigate some of that risk.

The bike Harvey rides is a good one and it has been tested at 80 kmh.

Harvey was only going about 40 kmh because of the slope and his cautious nature when he decided to tip it over and scare the hell out of me.

I discovered that at 60 years old I could still sprint 400 yards uphill without oxygen and resuscitation on arrival. Thank you Harvey for letting me learn that today.

We also discovered that Canadians want to help because on a mountain incline truckers stopped and other caring Canadians stopped to give assistance in any way they could to help someone in need.

Their helpful lift to get Harvey off the ground into his wheelchair was much needed and appreciated.

A special thanks to the young couple on vacation who threw their luggage on the road to transport Harvey’s wheelchair back to him up the hill in their trunk. Also a special thanks to the transport truck driver who took time from his tight schedule to get involved and make a difference that day. I hope you connect to this blog and receive some of the recognition you deserve.

Today Harvey is off and will remain off until we feel his hand is well on the mend, He had surgery to reattach the tendons on his pinky and this caused the hand to swell which we are watching closely.

Harvey is tough and only wants to get back on the road. This is a trait that has allowed Harvey to overcome the many obstacles a paraplegic faces each day of their lives. We as a group are proud to have him as a member of the team.

I owe the title of this blog to an anonymous donor who for reasons of her own wishes to not be named.

It is ironic that donor and obviously very caring person who wrote me a very touching email about encouragement and hope arrived on my computer on the same day as Harvey’s spill.

I will quote a paragraph of this touching email.

“Jim I am praying for the health and safety of all of you as this is an adventure not without risks, but these guys all know about risks. huh!

It is also ironic that while we were at the hospital with Harvey a gentleman  was brought in to the emergency area a placed on a gurney next to Harvey and I. He was in a lot of pain and had uncontrolled spasms in his entire lower body. He was also a paraplegic due to a motorcycle accident.

AJ was having a bad day with uncontrollable lower body muscle spasms and came in from Osoyoos 45 minutes away from Penticton.

We introduced ourselves, gave A J a pamphlet and asked him to view our web site. A J has been in a chair for two years since his motorcycle accident and has been searching the Internet for a year looking for a cure for his injuries.

We asked A J to become one of our messengers and help us through conversation and Internet email contacts to spread our message about spinal cord regeneration so that we can reach our goal of raising 10 million dollars.

Please become a messengeryourself so that these guys have a chance to walk again.

We rolled into Kelowna and met with my brother who was attending a car show hosted by Boyd Custom Shop.

My brother like a lot of other Canadians has Parkinson’s Disease and he welcomed us into the show with the approval of the organizers.

I’d like to thank the organizers for having us there I only wish that our tight schedule would have allowed us to arrive earlier in the after noon.

While at the show I had a very interesting encounter.

Two young women came up to me curiously looking at what we were doing there. The one was a little aloof about us and said to her friend they only want 30 cents give them the 30 cents and lets go.

I sensed that the other woman wanted to talk with me so I engaged her in conversation to give her my message. In our following conversation I learned that her friend was a quadriplegic. I felt so much sympathy for her and I knew the feelings that she must be going through.

I gave her a pamphlet and encouraged her to take it to her friend a together review our web site. I wanted her to give her friend hope to walk again just like the rats.

Every day we encounter someone in need, someone in pain and offer them hope to walk again.

We need your help as our special messengers to spread the word with us as a very large team of messenger’s so that we can reach our goal of 10 million dollars.

With total funding the doctors tell us that human trials could be completed within a year but with lesser funding it could be between 3 to 5 years which is far too long for these guys strapped to their chairs.

Please become a part of the solution.

Jim Anderson, Road Manager Wheel to Walk Canada, 905 869 6125

P.S. The anonymous donor has agreed to allow me to post a sanitized email she sent to me to keep her identity confidential and I will post it in it’s entirety soon. I have asked her to become an official messengers and work with our team. She will prove to be a valuable member of the team with her experience and I’d like to thank her for becoming a part of the solution.  God Bless