Vern Dell, Barry Millward and Ian Forbes
ST. CATHARINES -
Heart help close to home is close to Ian Forbes’ heart.
He’ll be putting his ticker to good use next month when he pedals around Lake
Ontario to raise money for the Niagara Health System’s heart investigation unit,
planned for the new Fourth Ave. hospital site.
The 62-year-old St. Catharines man is one of 17 cyclists who will spend seven
days riding 940 kilometres during the second annual Tour du Lac from July
8-14.
“It’s a challenge,” said Forbes, who completed the ride last year. “The
distance isn’t the worst of it. It’s the elements you run into, like heat and
rain.”
Forbes listened to the warning signs when his heart was in trouble four years
ago.
On the brink of a heart attack, he sought care at Hamilton General
Hospital.
Not everyone has that kind of time.
“I’m a lucky guy,” he said. “A lot of people don’t get the chance to survive
the ride to Hamilton.”
That’s why he believes the heart investigation unit is so important to this
community.
“Heart care needs to be close to home,” he said.
The planned 7,000-square-foot heart investigation unit will provide cardiac
catheterization services, a procedure used to investigate chest pain.
Forbes credits cycling with putting him on the road to recovery after his
heart surgery.
He said it saved his life.
“Riding not only fixed the physical, there’s a spiritual side to it,” he
said.
The Tour du Lac is organized by the Rotary Club of St. Catharines South, the
May Court Club of St. Catharines and PerformanceCars. Last year’s event raised
more than $22,000 and this year riders hope to collect $35,000.
Barry Millward, 68, also credits his bicycle with changing his life, and his
health.
He started riding as a way to get active and lose weight. In recent years,
he’s lost 65 pounds and brought his blood pressure down so much, he stopped
needing medication.
“Biking has been the gift for me to get heart healthy,” he said. “I was told
if I didn’t do something, I’d have a lot of medical conditions. It was a
wake-up.”
Millward, the oldest rider on this year’s tour, was one of nine riders who
completed the trip last year.
Bruce Ross also completed last year’s ride, but it wasn’t his longest. He’s
cycled from British Columbia to Texas.
Ross said the trip around the lake was spectacular with many different types
of scenery and terrain.
“It’s a really, really tough ride,” he said.
Meeting people along the way was one of the highlights, especially in the
United States, where riders bunked with members of Rotary Clubs, he said.
This year, Ross will only ride on Day 1 and Day 7 because he’s still
recovering from open-heart surgery.
“I’ve had two open-heart surgeries myself,” he said, noting he wants all
local residents to have access to a heart investigation centre.
While he won’t be on his bike for the whole journey, he’ll be keeping an eye
on riders’ progress online at www.rotarytourdulac.ca, where there will be
pictures and daily blogs.
erica.bajer@sunmedia.ca
