So… while things in Toronto did not go all that well (from both a public and media interest perspective) the ALS Society of Ontario really stepped up to the plate and helped us out today in Barrie, ON and Sudbury, ON.

Suzanne, who works with ALS Ontario, was not satisfied with the “lukewarm” (read: cold)reception we received in T.O. and took it upon herself to make things better for us - specifically in her hometown of Barrie, ON (about 1.5 hours away from Toronto).

We arrived in Barrie where Suzanne had arranged for a warm welcome at the local Harley Davidson dealership.  After a quick tour around the lake and the city, from a group of riders (including the general manager of the HD dealership), our impromptu parade took us to a meeting with local radio, TV, and newspaper media and 2 patients living with ALS.  The best part was that the media was there to catch a tearful thank-you from Derek - an ALS patient from Barrie who, once again, reminded us why we are doing this.

We also received hugs from various members of the O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police) including one officer in particular who had a family connection to ALS.

It was a refreshing change from the previous 48 hours - and it seemed to arrive just in time.

We then moved on to Sudbury, ON, and another HD dealership, where again we were met by the media, (CTV News - Sudbury), and received a complimentary oil change for the bike.

Finally, the evening finished with another bitter sweet moment, as once again we sat down and interviewed a “young” (40’s) man and his wife about how ALS was affecting their lives and that of their young family.  I won’t get into too many details here, because I know that Jeannie still wants to (and will) say a few things about today on her own - and quite frankly she’s much better at conveying the nature of our journey, anyway!

For me, anyway, today provided a ray of sunshine and hope - that there are people out there who really do care - and besides, it was sunny, about 25 degrees (77F), and a perfect day for riding.

-glen

Last Modified : October 4th, 2007 Filed under : On The Road Navigate : Previous post / Next post