Cyclists raise record amount for Quebec’s Make-A-Wish Foundation

MONTREAL – The 9th edition of the 48-HOUR RIDE benefiting the  Make-A-Wish Foundation wrapped up at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Sunday.

The foundation grants wishes to children who are critically sick.

More than 1,400 participants took part in the event, that kicked off Friday at noon and ended 48 hours later on Sunday.

To participate, teams made up of six members had to raise a minimum of $3,600 and ride their bikes along the 4.361 km-long circuit for 48 consecutive hours.

On Sunday organizers announced that they had exceeded their target of  $1.5 million and that a record-breaking $1,615,000 was raised at this year’s event.

John De Rosa, an avid cyclist, first participated in the event 9 years ago after he saw a pamphlet for the event in a bike store.

He rallied some colleagues at work who all had a passion for cycling and a strong desire to give back to the community and he hasn’t looked back since.

De Rosa says for him, the ride is a way to pay it forward.

“I’m blessed with good health and I have children of my own, they’re doing well,” De Rosa said. “I think every child deserves to have all the opportunities that are out there and they deserve to be taken care of.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm blessed with good health and I have children of my own, they're doing well," De Rosa said. "I think every child deserves to have all the opportunities that are out there and they deserve to be taken care of."

On Saturday, De Rosa and his team from Manuvie had the chance to meet 10-year-old Ainsley Roucliffe who is hoping to have her wish granted soon.

Only 10 weeks ago, Roucliffe underwent a functional hemispherectomy — a fifteen hour surgery to remove and disconnect one of the hemispheres in her brain.

It is a rare surgical procedure reserved for extreme cases to treat a variety of seizure disorders when medication and less invasive surgeries have proved unsuccessful.

Since the operation, Roucliffe is seizure-free for the first time in her life but her mom says she has had to relearn how to do everything, from walking, to using her arm.

But despite the hardships, the family feels blessed and grateful.

And thanks to teams like De Rosa’s, Ainsley’s dream of swimming with dolphins is that much closer to coming true.

Nearly $6 million has been raised for sick kids in Quebec since 2007, when the 48-HOUR RIDE first began.