Max’s Big Ride hoping to raise money for a cure

[projekktor id=’18547′]

Max’s big ride will roll out of Ottawa on June 21st, but the little boy from Hamilton took a spin on his new wheels today. Four year old Max has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal disease that causes progressive loss of muscle function – including the lungs. Max and his dad will be riding 600 kilometres to raise money to help find a cure and to save Max’s life.

Max Sedmihradsky and his dad Andrew checked out their wheels for max’s big ride. And judging by the smile on little Max’s face, he’s was having fun!! “I think he’s quite excited about it, I went for a ride just for training one morning and when I came back he’s like ‘you didn’t go on max’s big ride did you?’, so he was worried that I’d gone without him.”

But Max’s big ride doesn’t roll out until June 21, ending in Hamilton on Canada Day. The pair will pedal 600 kilometers on the Trans Canada Trail to raise money for research. Boys diagnosed with Duchenne’s MD are usually in a wheelchair by age 12 and don’t live past their 20’s.

“Right now Max can get around but the future is what scares us the most, so hopefully we have enough time to change that” said Max’s dad Andrew.

Max’s big ride was inspired by Jesse’s Journey, a foundation that raises money for research into this devastating disease. Jesse’s Journey began in 1994 after 6 year old Jesse Davidson was diagnosed and since then it’s raised millions of dollars to help find a cure.

“The reason that Max and Andrew and his family should be hopeful is the research – because right now they are finding treatments that are slowing the disease down” says Rick Moss from Jesse’s Journey.

But there’s still no cure and until a cure is found Max and his family are racing against the clock. Or in this case pedalling.

“I think this journey for andrew and max is a really important one. Both for them to bond together, but also for the cause” says Andrew Bowen who donated the bike for Max’s Big Ride.