From June 10-14, 900 cyclists took a turn on the 30-person Mighty Bike to Pedal for Kids at the Montreal Children’s Hospital (the Children’s).
Thirty teams – mostly from the corporate sector – hit the streets of downtown Montreal to celebrate raising $450,000 for the Children’s Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery Unit, which treats children with life-threatening skull and facial deformations.
Kids like David, who has Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting the growth of his bones and posing a significant risk for his brain. He underwent three major operations and was forced to wear a “halo” around his head, 24-hours a day, for nearly three months. This brace featured rods adjusted gradually to slowly force David’s skull and facial bones to reposition themselves. David hated this painful process at the time, but now at 15, he recognizes the blessing it brought by allowing his skull and face to develop more naturally. Still, David says, the brace hurt. “I hated it!”
David’s mom, Tina, remembers the moment she and her husband learned that their son, who was just ten days old, would face an uphill battle. “We were devastated, heartbroken,” she says. For Tina, Pedal for Kids is a reminder that her family, and others like hers, are not alone. “The participants have no idea how much their support means to us. For families like ours, it means the world to know that a whole community is behind us.”
Now a healthy and happy teenager, David is the face of this year’s edition of Pedal for Kids. A dedicated fundraiser, David’s ride alone raised over $43,000.
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Photo Credit: baranq / Shutterstock.com