Cycling event raises thousands for Type 1 diabetics in Simcoe Muskoka
A cycling event in Oro Medonte raised $25,000 for Type 1 diabetics on Sunday.
The Tour de T1D saw 116 participants cycle 25, 55 or 100-kilometre route at Heights Ski and Country Club to support Barrie's Youth Diabetic Clinic at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
Dr. Darlene Newham and Dr. Richard Goudie, two local physicians, founded the event after their son, Lukas, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
"We started it because there really were not any cycling events that we could find to raise awareness and to raise money for Type 1 diabetes," says Newham.
Now in its fourth year, the event has raised more than $100,000 for RVH. The hospital had been caring for Lukas since his diagnosis six years ago.
"We had no idea the impact this disease would have on a child, let alone on a whole family," Newham says. "So it was really important for us to just do something and we wanted to get out on a bike and make a difference."
Now 21-years-old, Lukas has gotten his diabetes under control and manages it well.
"I thought you know what, I can do this. I can live with this...I got support from the youth diabetic clinic at RVH and realized that I could do better with this and I could do whatever I wanted in life," Lukas says.
He adds that dealing with a new diagnosis can be difficult.
"It's hard. Your life changes like that in an instant. But if you get diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, talk to people, don't shut yourself out. You'll get over it, and you'll be able to control it," Lukas says.
Tour de T1D will be an annual event, taking place on the last Sunday of September.
If you'd like to donate to the cause, visit their website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.