Victoria man cycles for 24 hours straight to fundraise for dad diagnosed with ALS
Ian is riding his bike on a journey that began not on the street, but in the backyard with his dad.
“We were always playing sports,” Ian smiles, recalling how they’d shoot pucks and throw baseballs in the backyard.
Before that, his dad would taking him hiking. There are pictures of Ian as a baby poking his head out of a backpack.
“It was awesome,” Ian adds. “Some of my fondest memories as a kid.”
As an adult, Ian still finds it fun to push himself physically, his dad Ross says.
“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Ross smiles. “Very focused.”
Ian was focused on his life moving forward — at work as a firefighter, at home as a father and husband — when suddenly all he could focus on was a phone call from his dad.
“It was emotional,” Ian says. “Nobody ever wants to hear their dad has a terminal disease.”
Ross was diagnosed with ALS. He was slowly losing control of his muscles. And the son who’d always looked for help from his dad, started focusing on finding help for him.
“One thing my dad always taught me was be positive,” Ian says. “And have a positive attitude.”
So Ian decided to try and raise money for ALS research by cycling around the city for 24 hours straight.
“I’m just blown away,” Ross says of his son’s plan. “Totally blown away.”
Ian began with the overnight leg of the ride, cycling 300 kms around the Victoria Airport for 12 hours straight.
“It was cold. I was tired,” Ian says. “Was getting pretty delirious.”
But Ian kept going, riding around Greater Victoria for another 12 hours straight. He reflected on how his discomfort couldn’t compare to what his dad was enduring.
“It wasn’t really a question of if I was going to do it or not,” Ian says. “I had to do it.”
By then, Ian had more than surpassed his goal of raising $18,000.
After Ian had cycled non-stop for 24 hours, riding almost 600 kilometres straight, the dad he’d done it all for embraced him at the finish line, overwhelmed with gratitude.
“I’m so proud of Ian,” Ross says, fighting back tears. “It’s just a swelling in your heart. I don’t know what else to say.”
What can you say when you see that the baby you once carried on your back had grown up to become the man who’ll always have your back?
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.