Follow Ramesh's Journey

The team hit the road at 6 am today to visit Rotarians in Sunnyside, PEI. The club’s president, Sandy Rundle, announced that the club has been so inspired by Cycle to Walk that they will make a significant contribution to Rotary International’s PolioPlus program in honour of Cycle to Walk in the near future. After some best wishes, donations and an interview with the local paper, we headed back to Charlottetown – but not without stopping to check out the Confederation Bridge first.

Back when we first arrived on the island, we were invited to visit MacQueen’s Bicycle Shop in Charlottetown to get the bike serviced. This morning we took it in for one last tune up, cable replacement, and brake alignment. I believe that now the hand cycle will handle the final 500 km of the Cycle to Walk cross-Canada tour with no problems.

Dr. Sean Wiebe of from the University of Prince Edward Island’s Global Issues class invited the team to speak with his students today. Just like yesterday’s class, students demonstrated lots of interest in the Cycle to Walk campaign and asked lots of questions. Thank-you to all of the staff and students at the UPEI for showing so much care and support for the team and the message of Cycle to Walk. Education about polio must continue both in and out of the classroom. We need to work together as a global community to eradicate polio once and for all.

11 per cent of Canada’s population has not received the polio vaccination. That means over 3.4 million Canadians are at risk of contracting the poliovirus. There are a number of reasons why Canadians are not receiving the polio vaccine, such as an ‘out of sight/out of mind’ attitude, miseducation that polio has already been eradicated, or myths that the polio vaccinations lead to side effects such as autism.

There is absolutely no scientific evidence that the polio vaccination is responsible for causing autism.

It’s important for parents to ensure that their children receive the three doses of the polio vaccine at two, four and six months of age. Even adults need to ensure that their immunizations are up to date – especially if travelling overseas. Anyone who has not received the three doses of the polio vaccine can be a carrier of the virus, putting others at risk of contracting polio.
This afternoon, I hand cycled through the streets of Charlottetown accompanied by a local PEI Hero by the name of Alex Bain. Alex is 20, and he lives with autism spectrum disorder. Both he and his mother Janet were so excited to join in support of the Cycle to Walk campaign and share the important message that people need to continue to receive the polio vaccine. Alex had absolutely no problems keeping up as he is known for his long distance marathon running. In 2006, Alex ran across Prince Edward Island – tip to tip – to raise awareness about autism and to celebrate ability. It’s reassuring and wonderful to know a person living with autism who is willing to put himself in the public and show support for the polio vaccine. Thank you so much, Alex, your support. It means a lot to me, and it was great to spend part of the afternoon with you. View Janet and Alex’s blog entry here.

Alex, Janet and Iwere kept nice and safe because of the great work of Corporal Dave Cheverie of the Charlottetown Police. Thanks, Corporal Cheverie, for the lights, sirens, safety, and support.

We ended our day back on campus at the UPEI to speak at Campus Kids daycare. What a treat it was to be surrounded by such attentive, inquiring, smiling, and supportive young children. Thank you to Trish Daley, daycare staff, and all of the children. You truly brought a lot of joy into our day when you demonstrated so much interest to learn more about polio and the Cycle to Walk campaign.
It’s unbelievable, but our time is quickly coming to an end here in PEI. The team will catch the Wood Island ferry back to Nova Scotia tomorrow morning continue eastward on our journey. Thank you so much to our wonderful hosts, the Campbells and the Mathesons for hosting the team over the last couple of days!