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Tyler J. Ashton, originally from Port Coquitlam, B.C., made a stop in Winnipeg Monday morning on his way to cycle across Canada for a good cause.
"I started on March 1 on mile marker zero on Vancouver Island, right next to the Terry Fox statue," says Ashton. "It was kind of an ode to him. We came from the same hometown. The ride has been good."
Ashton pulled into Winnipeg this past weekend and made a stop at the CHVN studio to share why he is cycling at the end of winter into the early spring, with many days below freezing across the prairies.
"I'm raising funds and awareness for Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.). It's an autoimmune disease that I myself have. It's a disease of the spine, primarily based in inflammation. Late-stage prognosis is spinal fusion. For myself, I experience a lot of chronic fatigue, brain fog, and I also have nerve pain down my right leg."
It was three years ago that Ashton was first diagnosed with A.S. He is planning on finishing this cross-country cycle, totalling over 11,000 km, around July 22.
"I like to push that [pain] boundary and find out where it is every day. I went through the entirety of Saskatchewan into Manitoba with headwinds."
This intense venture for Ashton is being done by himself. He doesn't have a person or crew following him.
"For sleeping, generally, I like to tent. However, it's winter, and I left in winter apparently. I really thought it would be spring by now. So I've had to rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers. That's sometimes how I eat as well. I've been very fortunate on my trip so far. There have been a lot of kind strangers. The cool part about it is the unexpected gift of gratitude that I get, which I practise in times of despair, which really helps me cut through my pain."
To find out more information, give a donation to either Ashton's GoFundMe page or to donate to help find a cure for Ankylosing Spondylitis, click here.
"[Terry Fox] went through something I couldn't imagine. I'm just grateful for his inspiration. I probably wouldn't have chosen to do something like this if that story didn't exist."