On Monday, June 11, the Nechako Valley Community Service Society strapped into a massive, 30 seat bike and peddled around the community, all for the overarching goal of supporting fundraising initiative for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for Canadian men and women. As a matter of fact, every 7 minutes, someone in Canada dies from heart disease or stroke. The team from the Nechako Valley Community Service Society was riding the Big Bike to further spread awareness about the life threatening disease.
All of the money raised through Big Bike helps support the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Donations are used to help fund critical research that’s preventing heart disease and stroke, saving lives and supporting survivors and their families.
2018 marks 25 years in which the Heart and Stroke Foundation has been putting on Big Bike events across Canada. Now, these community events raise more than $8 million each year to help fund critical and potentially lifesaving research.
Some of the research initiatives that have been or are currently being helped funded by Big Bike events include one particular project that looks at whether a damaged heart can be repaired, as well as research that analyses why women seem to lag behind men when recovering from a heart attack and how that gap can be closed.
Ultimately, the much needed support from the community, coupled with Big Bike events across the country, make a direct impact in a community like Vanderhoof and other communities in Canada.