There are many things doctors deliver, from babies to bad news.
But on Friday a Comox Valley doctor was delivering kegs of beer – on a paddleboard.
When physician Brad Harris whipped up a special batch of brew to sell as a fundraiser for a local charity, he was challenged to deliver them in a way that carried no carbon footprint.
“That’s also part of the whole thing is to try to promote local beer and decrease carbon footprint, but more just to keep it local,” he said. “So all the beer that leaves here will get to its destinations by non-fossil fuel burning methods.”
That's why Harris strapped two roughly 70-pound kegs on his paddleboard and travelled down the Courtenay River, surrounded by his own personal flotilla.
A dozen people ended up joining Harris along the way to make the rest of the trek to Royston, where the final keg was unloaded.
Beer to go. Special flotilla in Comox Valley delivers fundraising brew via paddleboard tonight on @CTVNewsVI. pic.twitter.com/z3YeixYvLu
— Gord Kurbis (@CTVNewsGord) May 6, 2016
Aside from a minor capsizing of the beer kegs at one point, all went according to plan, much to the relief of Harris’ wife.
“Brad has lots of big ideas. I was like, ‘Hmm, I don’t know about this one,’” said Dennyse Harris. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking but it’s for a good cause and it’s a big dream that Brad’s had, and all these people helped to make it come true.”
Harris originally conceived the idea as a way to say thank you to the Comox Valley’s You Are Not Alone Society, which helps families who need to travel to access medical treatment for their kids.
The organization helped the couple’s own three-year-old daughter during her battle with cancer.
“Our lives were turned upside down and the craziest things happened, like even for a kid that has cancer,” he said. “She got a fungal brain abscess right from the start, took a while to figure that out, became one of the sickest kids in the province.”
The society helped cover the family’s costs to travel to chemotherapy treatments for the young girl, who finished up the treatments a year ago.
Kegs were also sent out Thursday night on bicycle as well as by sea Friday.
Harris and his team will be celebrating their efforts at a fundraising event Friday night featuring the special beer he created.
