To the editor:
Local firefighters Reagan Breeze, Graham Warburton, Tylor Marusyk and Corey Hayes are making their Muscles Move in support of those affected with muscular dystrophy.
Their four-day bike ride, which will cover almost 600 kilometres, will begin on Sept. 9 at the Manitoba-Ontario border and finish in Thunder Bay on Sept. 12 for the opening day of FireCon.
FireCon is an annual conference where more than 300 firefighters travel to Thunder Bay for training over a three-day period and is an important part of the regional camaraderie amongst the Fire Service across Northern Ontario.
Last year’s event raised more than $6,000 and created great awareness throughout Northwestern Ontario. These dedicated individuals want to surpass last year’s total and hope other firefighters will join them and bike through their communities and show their support. Our route will start on Sept. 9, when we will travel from the Manitoba-Ontario border through Kenora to Vermillion Bay and Dryden On Sept.10 we`ll go from Dryden to English River and then from Sept. 11 to 12 we travel from English River to Thunder Bay
For more information or to make a donation, please visit http://muscle. akaraisin.com/noffbr2013
Muscular dystrophy is the name given to a group of more than 150 types of neuromuscular disorders characterized by the wasting away and progressive weakness of the voluntary muscles that control voluntary movement.
Over time, people with neuromuscular disorders may lose the ability to walk, speak, and ultimately breathe. For some individuals, the disorder is fatal. There is currently no cure.
Canadian firefighters have played a significant role for those affected since 1954, when a group of parents whose children had duchenne muscular dystrophy approached their local fire department and asked for help.
Since then, Canadian firefighters have pledged their continued support until a cure is found.
To date Canadian firefighters have raised more than $75 million and last year Ontario Fire Departments and Associations raised $1,251,000 with northwestern firefighters being a significant part of that total.
Graham Warburton,
Atikokan
