Four Days, 500 Kilometres, One Great Cause
From September 16-19, I had the privilege of representing the Fanshawe Paramedic Program at the Paramedic Memorial Ride. The event is a four-day, 520km+ bike ride from Yonge-Dundas Square to Parliament Hill. The ride supports the Canadian Paramedic Memorial Foundation, which is currently raising funds to build a memorial in honour of Canadian civilian and military paramedics who have given their lives in the line of duty. Around 200 riders - 100 leaving from Quebec and 100 from Ontario - participated in this year's ride.
I have wanted to be a part of this event since I first heard about it when I entered the Paramedic program in September 2015. The Fanshawe Paramedic Program raises funds each year to send riders to this event. On the Thursday before the race, 10 of my classmates and I loaded up two ambulances and an RV full of bikes and uniforms. Many of my classmates paid their own way to support the ride, and some volunteered as support drivers for the four-day trip.
On the way to Toronto it hit me that I actually had to bike hundreds of kilometres. This made the newbie cyclist in me nervous, as I had been on a boat all summer working for the coast guard had not trained. The most I had ever biked was 20km the week before. The nerves were quickly replaced with a feeling of humility as we pulled into Yonge-Dundas Square among dozens of other vehicles, including a helicopter from ORNGE, ready to take part.
Over the next four days my emotions ran (or biked, I should say!) from sadness to determination to happiness, and everything in between. We started each day with a ceremony honouring the 38 Canadian paramedics who have given their lives in the line of duty, and for those who have died at their own hands due to mental illness. Support from local police escorts and applause from townspeople as we rode by served as another reminder as to why we were all here in the first place.
We finally pulled into Gatineau to form up with the Quebec group before parading into Parliament Hill. Climbing the final hill around the Eternal Flame and onto the lawn of Parliament was one of the most overwhelmingly emotional feelings I've ever experienced. Forgetting the cause momentarily, we all felt proud of our own achievement. The event then held a final ceremony with federal politicians and Paramedic Service representatives speaking.
I could go on forever about my time spent on and off the saddle over those four days. This event was an incredible experience that I will not soon forget. I encourage you to visit paramedicmemorial.ca and read the stories behind the paramedics my classmates and I were honouring with this ride.
Follow me @CanuckMedic on Twitter for more stories!
Back
I have wanted to be a part of this event since I first heard about it when I entered the Paramedic program in September 2015. The Fanshawe Paramedic Program raises funds each year to send riders to this event. On the Thursday before the race, 10 of my classmates and I loaded up two ambulances and an RV full of bikes and uniforms. Many of my classmates paid their own way to support the ride, and some volunteered as support drivers for the four-day trip.
On the way to Toronto it hit me that I actually had to bike hundreds of kilometres. This made the newbie cyclist in me nervous, as I had been on a boat all summer working for the coast guard had not trained. The most I had ever biked was 20km the week before. The nerves were quickly replaced with a feeling of humility as we pulled into Yonge-Dundas Square among dozens of other vehicles, including a helicopter from ORNGE, ready to take part.
Over the next four days my emotions ran (or biked, I should say!) from sadness to determination to happiness, and everything in between. We started each day with a ceremony honouring the 38 Canadian paramedics who have given their lives in the line of duty, and for those who have died at their own hands due to mental illness. Support from local police escorts and applause from townspeople as we rode by served as another reminder as to why we were all here in the first place.
We finally pulled into Gatineau to form up with the Quebec group before parading into Parliament Hill. Climbing the final hill around the Eternal Flame and onto the lawn of Parliament was one of the most overwhelmingly emotional feelings I've ever experienced. Forgetting the cause momentarily, we all felt proud of our own achievement. The event then held a final ceremony with federal politicians and Paramedic Service representatives speaking.
I could go on forever about my time spent on and off the saddle over those four days. This event was an incredible experience that I will not soon forget. I encourage you to visit paramedicmemorial.ca and read the stories behind the paramedics my classmates and I were honouring with this ride.
Follow me @CanuckMedic on Twitter for more stories!
No comments have been posted
Greenwood College School
443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811
We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.
Copyright © 2022 Greenwood College School