'Brothers and sisters of service': Group supports PTSD awareness with motorcycle ride
A cross-country motorcycle ride made its way through the foothills in southern Alberta, destined for Cranbrook, B.C. on Wednesday.
Starting in Halifax on Aug. 1, former and current veterans, emergency personnel such as paramedics, police officers and firefighters banded together to break down barriers and end the stigma surround post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The event is in its sixth year and passed through Turner Valley and Nanton on Wednesday with about 70 bikes in the procession.
Paul Harman, the chief executive officer for The Rolling Barrage PTSD Foundation, says this is not just a motorcycle ride, but a pilgrimage.
“If you’ve been hurt serving Canada or her communities mentally from what you’ve seen and done, you are not broken,” he said.
“It’s more a therapeutic event, as much as it is an awareness campaign.”
The foundation is only in its second year and, according to Harman, raised more than $70,000 last year.
He says he does not want to see anyone suffer in silence.
“We are the family you didn’t know you had, for those in the background out there with PTSD, it’s exactly who we are,” he said.
“We are brothers and sisters of service.”
The ride began in Nova Scotia and is scheduled to conclude in B.C. on Aug. 21.
Hundreds of riders have joined up for portions of the ride while 23 riders committed to cross Canada in its entirety as the “Full Pull” crew this year.
That includes Glenn Willis, who has participated in the event every year.
From Truro, N.S., he says this is where difficult conversations are had, but he wants everyone suffering with PTSD to know there are avenues of support.
“During our everyday life, people like me who have PTSD, often have a mask we portray to people, so people only see the smiley, happy face,” said Willis.
“This ride takes that mask off, (and) we have open, raw, honest conversations. This ride changes lives – it saves lives.”
Carola Singer, whose husband Shawn is a retired Calgary firefighter is participating in her first ride.
She says all families know someone suffering from PTSD and believes breaking away the stigma around the illness is happening.
“We’re making progress, but we still have a long ways to go but we’re doing this by building community and by people joining us,” she said.
The event started with a tire dip in the Atlantic Ocean and will end in Vancouver Aug. 21, with a tire dip in the Pacific Ocean.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.