Cross-country ride to raise funds and awareness

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A group of riders will take off on a cross-country journey this summer to raise funds to treat diabetes in remote Aboriginal communities.

The group will participate in the National Aboriginal Diabetes Awareness Ride (NADAR), a 7,700-km bike ride from St. John's, Nfld. to Victoria. The riders will set off in June, and hope to reach the West Coast some time in August.

The ride is being organized to raise funds to help provide kidney dialysis machines to northern communities, where people requiring dialysis must travel to southern centres to undergo their treatment.

The fund and awareness raising project was initiated after discussions with members of the James Bay Dialysis Advocacy Group in Moose Factory, Ont., which recently held a telethon to raise funds for a dialysis unit for the James Bay area. The event raised $115,000, which will go toward buying a dialysis machine for the Moose Factory hospital.

Rob Wesley of Constance Lake First Nation, Ont. will be one of the riders taking part in the trans-Canada trek.

According to Wesley, one of the other riders, Jake Chakasim, was actually planning to spend his summer holidays biking across the country with his girlfriend. Then, following the fundraising efforts of the James Bay Dialysis Advocacy Group, which Chakasim's grandmother was involved in, they decided to turn their trip into a fundraiser.

"He started asking people like myself and others to see who would be interested, and I jumped right on board," Wesley said.

He said he has a personal interest in the fundraising project, because of his family's medical history.

"My father has diabetes, but he lives in Thunder Bay. He never lived in a remote location, which is what we're trying to overcome. He's had diabetes for a while. I've had uncles who have gone through hemodialysis treatment, and eventually they got kidney transplants. My mother's family suffers from nephritis. So it's sort of personal for myself."

Although Wesley knows riding across Canada will be a physical challenge, he thinks it will pose an even bigger mental challenge for himself and his fellow riders.

"I think the mental part is going to be the thing, because we're looking at riding seven to nine hours a day, and that's going to be tough," he said.

Organizers of the ride are looking for sponsors and donations to help cover the costs of the ride itself, as well as donations to help in the purchase of dialysis machines.

Wesley said the NADAR riders will be making stops in First Nations communities and major centres.

At least one First Nation, Wesley explained, has already jumped onboard the fundraising effort. A couple of people from Pic River First Nation, Ont. will be holding a community fundraiser, with the money raised to be presented to the riders when they travel through the First Nation this summer.

Organizers are also looking at the possibility of holding an essay writing contest, with Aboriginal youth invited to submit papers on diabetes and Aboriginal people.

A Web site-http://www.nadar.ca/ will also be set up, allowing the riders to share their experiences during their trek with people across the country. The site will also be set up to accept online donations.

Any First Nation communities interested in holding a fundraiser for the National Aboriginal Diabetes Awareness Ride, or anyone wanting more information about NADAR, can contact Rob Wesley at 807-346-6583, or e-mail rwesley @firstnationsnetworking.com.