Already a remarkable young man, 15-year-old Brentwood resident Ayden Green is about to embark on an adventure that will no doubt be even more character-building.
On Saturday, June 29, Ayden, his mother Sandra and his father Steve will set out for St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he and Sandra will dip the wheels of their three-wheeled recumbent “Catrikes” in the Atlantic Ocean and set off on a cross-Canada ride.
Ayden, who has dealt with many challenges in his young life, decided a year ago to do the ride as a fundraiser for three organizations that he credits with helping him become the person he is today: the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Autism Ontario, and Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
Ayden and his family have spent a considerable amount of time at Holland Bloorview, undergoing therapy first for a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis received when he was five years old and then an Asberger Syndrome diagnosis that came three years later when it became evident that Ayden had extreme sensitivities to much of what he was being asked to do to deal with his CP.
“It’s a really amazing place,” said Ayden of the hospital, which provided him the necessary therapy to gain control over both of his afflictions and come into his own as an affable, engaged Grade 9 student at Jean Vanier Catholic High School in Collingwood.
“Ayden would not be the person he is today without Bloorview and the support of the OFCP and Autism Ontario,” said Sandra.
For that reason, she wasn’t surprised when Ayden came to her with his cross-Canada idea a year ago – though she admits she expected it to be “one of those ideas that go away over time.”
It didn’t, and somewhere along the way Sandra herself decided she’d like to ride along beside her son, thinking it could be a long and lonely road to tackle alone. One thing led to another, and Sandra and Steve, both producers at Rogers Television, decided to quit their jobs and devote themselves completely to the ride.
Now, the plan is for Steve to drive the support RV and the family to cross the country together. And the goal is to raise $50,000 for the three organizations, with funds flowing through the United Way.
Rogers Corporate has committed to providing media support to the ride as it travels across the country, and Sandra and Steve have used their own marketing savvy to produce a website and a host of sponsorship opportunities for Ayden.
But all of that will disappear into the background on July 5, the anticipated launch date in St. John’s, when mother and son will start pedalling towards Vancouver Island.
“I’m not sure either of us know what we’re in for, but I suppose we’ll find out pretty quickly,” said Sandra. Ayden, for his part, has had his Catrike up to 50 kilometres per hour during training sessions and promises to loop back to allow his mom to catch up from time to time.
For more information or to donate to Ayden’s ride, visit www.aydensride.com. The Greens plan to travel through this area sometime this summer, and will keep us in the loop with regard to their progress.