The Ride for Sight -- Motorcyclists Fighting Blindness
The annual Ride for Sight, Canada’s longest-running
motorcycle charity fundraiser, raises money to support the Foundation Fighting
Blindness.
I have always worn glasses and over the years, they have become
stronger as my vision gets weaker. And I’ve always feared that my eyesight
would someday limit my ability to ride a motorcycle. My mother had age-related
macular degeneration, a condition that causes blindness due to changes in the
shape of the retina.
The first Ride for Sight was held in central Ontario in
1979. I started riding with the Alberta Ride for Sight in 2003.
Over the past 10
years, with the help of generous friends and colleagues, I’ve helped raise
almost $20,000 for the Alberta ride. All of that money goes to the Foundation.
Riders and generous corporate sponsors cover all the fundraising costs.
For 40 years, the
Foundation Fighting Blindness has invested in Canadian research. It has helped
scientists uncover the genes associated with retinal disease and understand the
cause of vision loss. Increasingly the foundation's funding supports research
to develop treatments that can preserve and even restore vision.
The foundation is dedicated to helping Canadian families
affected by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related
macular degeneration. These diseases strike the nation’s two most vulnerable
populations, children and seniors. It is estimated that vision loss affects
over one million Canadians.
Over the past 40 years, Foundation donations have supported
an impressive 202 research grants, amounting to a $25 million investment in
ground-breaking science at Canadian hospitals and universities.
Scientists funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness have
been part of many Canadian firsts. For example, Dr. Rod McInnes and Dr. Robert
Molday were the first Canadian scientists to discover genes that cause
inherited retinal disease, both with Foundation funding.
Maybe someday, these talented scientists may also discover
the cause of that particular brand of blindness that renders motorcycles -- and
motorcyclists -- virtually invisible to a disturbing number of car drivers. But
that's a rant for another day!
Today, Foundation funding scientists are continuing to make
new discoveries about the causes and effects of vision disease, while leading
the way towards the discovery and testing of treatments for retinal diseases.
Please help support that work!Please visit my Ride for Sight secure onlinefundraising page and pony up a few bucks for this important fundraising ride to support research into the causes and prevention of blindness. Thanks
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