'I need to reach these goals'

Gord Paterson knew that he wanted to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation after his father, James, suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in 2016.

He’s now nearing the halfway mark of his cross-country cycling fundraiser - armed with just his bicycle, a bike trailer and camping gear - that will take him from Halifax to Vancouver.

“That’s when the idea came that I’d like to fundraise for them, so that the work that they did for my father can be continued for other people that suffer from heart disease and stroke,” Paterson said during a stop at the Heart and Stroke Foundation office in Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday.

Paterson has already cycled more than 1,600 kilometres across the United Kingdom this summer to fundraise for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, beginning at Land’s End on May 30 and finishing in John o’Groats in mid-June.

“It’s very similar to Canada but only condensed,” Paterson told SooToday while visiting the local office of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “You got your hills, you got your flats, you got your mountains in Scotland, and you have all different kinds of weather conditions, which I experienced.”

A few days after wrapping up that trip, Paterson - a Canadian who’s lived in Scotland since 1987 - was already preparing to come back to his Canadian roots for his next cycling fundraiser.

“The idea started in 2016, and it’s taken two years to get it to where it is today, bring the two organizations together, getting the logistics and all the stuff that needed to be done in order to start this journey,” Paterson said.

So far, he has raised more than 3,300 pounds towards his goal of 5,000 pounds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

Here in Canada, Paterson is committed to reaching his goal of raising $10,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

He’s already raised $3,800 since his cross-Canada cycling trip began in Halifax in late June.

“I need to reach these goals,” Paterson said. “I just need help and support, and if people follow me I can the donations in.”

“I’ll do anything I can for that to happen.”

Paterson’s journey is being documented and updated on his website, while a link to his Heart and Stroke Foundation fundraising campaign can be found here for those wishing to donate.