If you see a big group of cyclists in Halifax today, be sure to give them your support.
At 10 a.m. Sunday morning, The Spinning Wheels Tour kicked off in Halifax with a community ride around the downtown core and across the bridge and back. The event inaugurates the triumphant feat of three teams who will bike 6,000 kilometres over two months across Canada to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is a neurological disease that affects control over movement. Varying degrees of the disease can cause tremors, slow movement, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech.
In 2016, there were over 100,000 people in Canada living with Parkinson’s and that number is only expected to climb.
According to research from Parkinson’s Canada, by 2031, the number of Canadians diagnosed with Parkinson’s is expected to increase by 65 per cent. In 2016, 28 people are diagnosed with the debilitating disease per day, jumping to 51 per day by 2031.
Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, but there are things those living in the early stages can do to manage the progression. One of those things is exercise.
In 2022, Steve Iseman and Mike Loghrin, who had met through their shared diagnosis of Parkinson’s, decided to ride across Canada to start a embolden the conversation around Parkinson’s disease. The two men, with their small but mighty support team, biked coast to coast, followed by a Winnebago with supplies and sleeping in Walmart parking lots.
But they made an impact.
Susan Fullerton, a member of The Spinning Wheels organizing team, told CityNews she followed Iseman and Loghrin across the country and saw the impact they were having.
“This woman saw the sign on the side of the Winnebago and came up and said, ‘I was just diagnosed and I’m really struggling’,” Fullerton recalled. “And these men, who are only five and ten years out of their diagnosis, talk to this woman. And it became a recurring thing.”
In 2023, Iseman and Loghrin took a break before returning in 2024 with a coordinated team effort to relay ride across the country with the same purpose. They are doing it again this year.
Aside from riding, The Spinning Wheels is also raising money to help those living with Parkinson’s. So far the team has raised $120,000 of it’s” $200,000 goal.
Fullerton said when she turned 60 earlier this year, she asked all her friends and family to support The Spinning Wheels in lieu of gifts. That alone raised $7,100.
Each day of the relay, at least one person with Parkinson’s will be on the bike, showing people the possibilities of living with the disease.
For Fullerton it is that representation and that connection that drives The Spinning Wheels.
“If if we touch one person’s Parkinson’s story to help them improve their life, then it is going to be a success,” she said.