Leslie MacDonald completed the final leg of her Going the Distance for Dad and ALS journey across Canada.
During the summer of 2002, Leslie’s father Bob MacDonald was diagnosed with Bulbar Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Ironically, it was her father who taught her how to ride a bike, and Leslie took some solace in biking after her father passed away.
In the winter of 2008 she contacted the ALS Society of Canada and began formulating her plan to cross the country in memory of her dad and to raise funds and draw attention to this fatal disease. Two years later that dream became a reality and on Saturday that dream was finally realized.
“It was amazing,” she said of her cross-country trek. “Everyone was very supportive. We had our van with decals on it so people would approach us whenever we stopped at a gas station or Tim Horton’s, etcetera, and wondering what we were doing.”
Leslie arrived at Government Wharf in Summerside to the cheers of family and friends on hand to help here celebrate her journey.
She left June 5 from Vancouver, B.C., and arrived in Summerside Aug. 14. She wasn’t on the road all of those days, but “over 10 weeks I rode 57 days.”
Leslie’s trip was not without incident. Flat tires were an expected occurrence but there were a few other things that were not.
“One day in B.C., between Revelstoke and Golden, I had a friend with me, thank gosh, we saw two bears, four goats and this huge moose ran out in front of us, stared us down for a while and thankfully ran over to the other side.”
Along with raising awareness of the disease that took her father’s life, Leslie’s Going the Distance for Dad and ALS raised thousands of dollars for research.
“We raised over $12,000,” she said. “Great for the country and those who supported us.”
With the journey now behind her it was time for Leslie to take a break.
“I’m going to spend some time with friends and family (on P.E.I.) and probably head back to work in a couple of weeks,” she said.
