Follow Ramesh's Journey

Today’s hand cycle commenced at the BC/Alberta border and took the team through the town of Jasper and part of Jasper National Park. I’d like to send out a big thank you to Grace and Dave who have opened up their home to the Cycle to Walk team while we’ve been in the area.

It was another ideal day of cycling with warm, dry conditions, plenty of sunshine, and scenic mountain views. There were many animals such as elk, sheep, and Canada geese along the roadside. There were times while I cycled when people in passing vehicles took pictures of me. I laughed to myself, as I sort of felt like I was just another wild animal in the park for tourists to keep an eye out for.

Later in the day back in Jasper, Cycle to Walk had the opportunity to spread its message of polio eradication, education and rehabilitation with one of the local papers. Jack, who interviewed me, requested that I take a measurement of my bicep muscles. I agreed to this so long as a measurement of my right calf was taken. The reason for this is that the Cycle to Walk is not about me cycling across the country to see how big my muscles will get, it’s about bringing attention to Canada and the rest of the world that polio continues to paralyze and kill children in several countries needlessly. My right bicep muscle is 16.5 inches around, however, the important fact is that my right calf muscle is 7.5 inches –  which is half the size of what it should be for a male in his twenties. It’s important to remember that I should not have even contracted polio.  The world had a prevention for 25 years when I contracted the disease in 1980.