Ride for Dementia: 9 Days, 2,400KM

When Dr. John Archibald contacted us in the spring of 2021 with an outside the box fundraising idea, we were immediately along for the ride. John’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. While John’s area of expertise is not Alzheimer’s research, he did come to learn a lot about dementia during his time helping his mother care for his father. He learned about dementia prevalence in Nova Scotia and across the country (17,000 and half a million, respectively). The annual healthcare costs for Canadians with dementia (projected to reach $17 billion by 2031). He learned about the various forms of dementia, risk factors, and that there is currently no cure for dementia.

This experience was his motivation to raise funds for dementia research in Nova Scotia. And to do it doing one of his favourite pastimes – cycling.

On July 1, 2021, John set out on the Cycle of Life: Ride for Dementia – a nine-day, 2,400KM journey cycling the perimeter of Nova Scotia.

He persevered through rain, cold and a post-tropical storm (and a little bit of sun) to raise funds for us here at the Alzheimer Society and for the Maritime Brain Tissue Bank via the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation.

John’s journey included stops along the way to visit family and friends, and most importantly, a stop on the last leg of the trip in Lunenburg to visit his Dad.

With the support of his generous sponsors – Cyclesmith, Jakroo and McInnes Cooper – and many, many supportive donors, he raised nearly $30,000 to support dementia research in Nova Scotia.

We can’t thank John enough for his support and determination.

John visits his father on the last leg of his journey. Photo by Anne Launcelott.