Passion

I was fortunate enough to have meeting with Luke Coles, the principal of Blyth Academy in Toronto. I was introduced to Mr. Coles via email by Barbra Smith, who has helped me out a lot. Mr. Coles took some time to meet with me to discuss ways I can improve Parkinson's Cycle of hope. 

Last year Mr. Coles and the students, parents, etc of Blyth Academy raised $130 000 for the Terry Fox Foundation! I left Mr. Cole's office with several new connections and a whole whack load of ideas.

Luke told me the thing that caught his attention the most was when, he heard about Parkinson's Cycle of Hope being fortunate enough to secure accommodations along the way with people who have been affected by Parkinson's in some way. My inspiration obviously comes from my dad's diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, but each and every one of us has a unique experience that I hope to be able to share. 

Luke let me in on a very personal story about why Parkinson's disease is near and dear to his heart. He has seen a very close friend of his family quickly progress through the devastation of Parkinson’s disease. It was difficult to see his sadness as he spoke about seeing someone he loves battling Parkinson's disease. Stories like the one Luke shared with me help fuel me even more to make Parkinson's Cycle of Hope a success. There are over 100,000 people living with Parkinson's disease and the number is expected to double by 2016. We are both hopeful that Parkinson's Cycle of Hope can help connect people who have Parkinson's disease to spread awareness and education, while raise money to fund Parkinson's research.

While I was stuck in Toronto traffic, I had a few hours to think about Parkinson's Cycle of Hope. I immediately started to get this intense sense of adrenaline pumping through my body, and it was as if my heart became a gigantic ball of energy. I have been wondering why I have these feelings, and I truly believe the most plausible answer is it is passion. I believe Parkinson’s Cycle of Hope will be a huge success because the people supporting it are passionate about the cause. I don’t just want to raise a bunch of money…I want to include individuals, communities, and corporations in this ride, so it becomes a collaborative ride of everyone working together to spread awareness and education.