Cycle to Walk raising awareness of Polio

Ramesh Ferris is crossing Canada on a hand-driven tricycle to raise awareness that polio is not a vanquished disease.

Ferris left Victoria April 12, the anniversary of the first release of Jonas Salk’s vaccine, with a support team of four people in two vehicles. After three weeks of propelling the sleek racer, his right bicep measures a powerful 16.5 inches.

“By comparison, the measurement on my right calve is 7.5 inches – less than half of what a normal 28-year-old male should be,” Ferris says, reminding the listener that he was afflicted with polio as a child.

It is easy to forget, looking at his powerful upper body. Ferris was afflicted with polio at six months and adopted from India by Canadian parents in 1982. He can walk with braces and crutches, but his legs are not strong enough to propel a conventional bicycle. 

Ferris visited India in 2002 and was reunited with his birth mother. He witnessed the devastating reality for polio victims who do not have rehabilitative supports, and vowed to help.

The Cycle to Walk team left Jasper Monday morning and was scheduled to arrive in Edmonton a week later. They aim to reach Newfoundland in the first week of October. The 27-speed trike slows to three km/h on steep climbs but Ferris has hit 74 km /h on long descents.

“I’m looking forward to the Obed summit,” he said. “Once we get though the mountains, hopefully our message will be heard. There are 3.4 million Canadians who aren’t vaccinated against polio, and that isn’t right.”

“The biggest obstacle is to get polio back on the map. Most Canadians believe it’s a non-issue, that it’s an issue of the Fifties or a developing world issue.” 

Ferris hopes to raise $10 million and funds “are slowly coming in,” he said. Cycle to Walk is still looking for corporate sponsors.  

Seventy-five per cent of the money raised will go to Rotary International’s PolioPlus, 20 per cent to humanitarian rehabilitation projects, and five per cent to educate Canadians about polio and advocating continued immunization. Donors can contact the project and follow its path across Canada at www.cycletowalk.com.