Thursday marks the kickoff of a big bike ride for a great cause.
Longtime Wingham native Brad Burton is biking from Sarnia, where he now lives, all the way back to his hometown over the next four days to help raise money and awareness for the Wingham and District Hospital, a distance of 512 km. Burton says growing up in Wingham, it was evident how critical the hospital is, including to his own family.
"I know many families and friends in the surrounding community that rely on it heavily. That includes my father, who in the last few years was in critical care in the hospital receiving palliative care there," Burton shared.
Burton points out that the hospital is such a big part of the community for not just the emergency care offered, but all the other medical procedures that can be done there.
"Obviously there's extended care where they have ultrasounds, the CT scanner and bone density scans, among other things, where you don't have to commute to a bigger centre to get your healthcare," he said. "On top of that, the ability of the hospital and the hospital foundation to employ so many people in the area, it's such a contributing factor for the whole region and the community, and surrounding communities. It's providing not just great healthcare, but also great employment opportunities."
The four day bike ride will see Burton make stops in Holmesville, Southampton, Listowel and finally the Wingham and District Hospital on day four this Sunday. Burton says he hopes this ride not only inspires his kids, but others to do great things for great causes.
"What you put into something can be for something that helps others, I think that's such a big thing. Hopefully we can learn from other people and inspire each other to continue to contribute and continue to help out these areas of need," added Burton.
A link to support Brad on his ride and stay up to date with his progress can be found here: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/WinghamandDistrictHospitalFou/burtonbike.html
