Fundraising cyclist pit stop in Strathmore
By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter
Doug Taylor Photo
But on July 16, like two ships passing in the night, two different cyclist groups made their way through town.
Finishing off their day-long journey first was a pair of college roommates that teamed up to raise money for a chronic lung disease. Julie Ann Chiodo and Olivia Mendicino departed Vancouver on July 8 to cycle to Toronto for the Forever Lungs ride in an attempt to raise money for pulmonary fibrosis.
“We’re pretty proud to make it through the mountains as quickly as we did. We got the chance to see some beautiful sights even though some of those passes were pretty challenging. We’re looking forward to making it through the prairies now,” said Mendicino.
Chiodo and Mendicino first met in Toronto in 1997 and lived together again in 2005 in Vancouver. In 2006, Mendicino’s sister passed away from an illness, so the two talked about doing a nationwide ride back then. Like it so often does, life got in the way, as Mendicino soon started a family back in Ontario and Chiodo was looking to continue her education, so they put it on the back burner.
Unfortunately, the two friends were brought together years later by the same disease, after Mendicino’s father passed away in 2014 and Chiodo’s uncle was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2014. Luckily, Chiodo’s uncle was able to receive a successful lung transplant earlier this year.
“We both had the time off this summer to do it and we talked about how we always wanted to do something like this, so we figured now was the perfect time,” said Mendicino.
The two college friends aren’t doing the full cross-country tour, as they have set their final destination for Toronto.
“We both have lives that we are stepping away from right now. We have dedicated this month to the ride and we thought Toronto was a great spot to end it because that is where this journey really began. We haven’t ruled out completing the final eastern swing one day,” said Mendicino.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and progressive lung disease where the air sac in the lungs becomes scarred, making it difficult to breathe and to get oxygen into the bloodstream. It is also more prevalent in the elderly, as opposed to the more commonly known cystic fibrosis, commonly found in children.
The 40-year-old Mendicino and 39-year-old Chiodo have already crushed their initial goal and have currently raised $17,000.
“We are absolutely surprised at how much we have raised. We have a leader in Kirk Morrison, who is doing all the work behind the scenes and he is doing a fantastic job getting our message out there. Our initial goal was $10,000, so we reset our goal to $20,000 and hope to donate more money to future research projects,” said Mendicino.
For those interested in donating, the two riders encourage interested people to check out their story on foreverlungs.com.
David Podmoroff also cycled into town July 16. The 53-year-old is bringing attention to various health issues that can affect aging men.
Podmoroff started his ride July 7 from Spanish Banks beach in Vancouver and he doesn’t plan on stopping until he reaches Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, N.S. He is moving at a blistering pace, peeling off more than 14 kilometres per day.
Podmoroff wants to get people talking about testicular cancer, anxiety and depression, problems that affect many men.
“I know what it’s like to be a guy. Guys keep things inside and like to pretend everything is okay. I want to get more guys talking about things that are bugging them. Keeping everything locked inside isn’t healthy,” said Podmoroff.
He hopes to complete his ride by mid-September but is feeling the need to slow down a bit to get the message out there.
For anyone interested in donating to Podmoroff’s quest, they can find his Men Matter Coast 2 Coast campaign at fundraise.testicularcancer.ngo/PodsyPodsy. Funds raised will go towards Testicular Cancer Canada.