Cobourg resident Sam Miron is getting to check an adventure off his bucket list while, at the same time, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Miron has been across Canada but never at once and never on an up-close basis like a drive. His big adventure will be a cross-country motorcycle ride that is also a fundraiser called Ride With Heart that was inspired by the recent loss of his mother and mother-in-law from heart issues – his mother-in-law died suddenly Sept. 29, followed by his mother nine days later later. As well, his father died of heart issues seven years ago.
“I thought, ‘Why not do something to recognize and remember them,’” he said.
The planning has been going on for six months, but it’s down to the final days now. Miron expects his bike to be picked up and taken west to Vancouver on Thursday. He will fly west Friday, and start the ride after the weekend.
He will be doing social media posts every day to share the ride, and he plans to take pictures and video all the way through. A person he works with who is good with websites will help him keep up a blog.
If that’s the right term, he said – “I’m 70 years old, I don’t know that stuff.”
And it’s all in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
All of it, he said – no part of what he raises will go for his expenses. It’s something he wanted to do to honour the family members he lost and help fight one of the leading causes of death in Canada.
Shipping the bike alone is a $900 expense on top of his air fare. And gas and food and overnight stays will add to the cost. Still, he said, “I have it set up with Heart and Stroke so I don’t touch one penny. Everything goes to Heart and Stroke.”
Though heart issues are clearly in his family, Miron doesn’t worry unduly for himself, even though he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy about 12 years ago. He was familiar with the condition – his mother got that diagnosis years before.
“It’s the hardening of the left-hand side of the heart,” he said,.
“You hear about athletes dying, just keeling over in the field? That’s what they die of.”
Miron accepted the diagnosis, even reported it to his insurance company. Then he moved from Peterborough to Cobourg seven years ago and found Dr. Mukesh Bhargava.
“A great guy,” he declared.
“He specializes in diabetes and heart, and I have both. He tested me and tested me and tested me, and he said, ‘You don’t have that. You never did.’”
His family is 100% behind his Ride With Heart, and he’s glad to have the support of friends – but moral support only. If anyone offers to put something towards his expenses, he tells them to make a Heart and Stroke Foundation donation instead.
“It’s all on me,” he said.
“It’s something I wanted to do anyway. It’s one of my bucket-list things, combining my love for motorcycles – and it’s probably my last big ride. I’m turning 70 this year and I might sell the bike after that, who knows?”
His course is 4,700 km. long, and he plans to do maybe 500 km. a day (with the odd day where he takes it easy and only covers maybe 250 km.).
It will take him through the Okanagan Valley up through Salmon Arm, into Calgary and points west to the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. With current Manitoba COVID-19 restrictions, if he stopped overnight in that province, he’d have to quarantine for 14 days. He will get an early start on that province’s western border and cover all 560 km. across to Ontario with stops only for food and fuel.
At his stop in Thunder Bay, he will be joined by a couple of pals who said they wanted to meet him there and ride back to Cobourg with him, so Miron will finish his journey with his friends Rick Polley and Jim Melvin.
That’s not technically cross-country he admitted.
“If I feel like it, and I’m not sure I am going to feel like it, I’ll go to the east coast in September.”
He’s not sure yet if “east coast” means Halifax or St. John’s, but he has travelled east before and remembers that the people are something special (especially Newfoundlanders, he said, who are “out of this world”).
But that’s a decision for another day. The Vancouver-Cobourg trip is on, and you can show your support at http://support.heartandstroke.ca/goto/ridewithheartsammiron
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
