Cyclist braves elements for healthy cause

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Northern resident Rob Genaille began a long trek to Winnipeg on Aug. 10. He is cycling from Fort Smith, N.W.T. to the windy city to raise awareness for diabetes and to raise funds for a new family resource centre in Fort Smith. He will be stopping at several First Nations and Metis communities along the way.

The 47-year-old said he does not have diabetes and wants to keep it that way. He stays physically active, away from alcohol, and makes healthy food choices.

"Maybe by preventing myself from getting diabetes I can help others. I'm the only Aboriginal person I know of that is cycling this distance. I guess I'm the only one crazy enough to do it," he said.

"I ran into a lot of wind and four days of rain. The radio station in Peace River announced my arrival. That was really nice, and people were honking their vehicles. But that is not how people really are. They do not like you on the road. It is like you do not deserve to be on the road with them. It is a risk," he said.

Genaille and his wife Barb hope that the family resource centre will assist families and individuals by offering them a place to go when dealing with issues on heath, family or relationships.

"Life throws issues and things at us and sometimes we are down to whatever limited resources we have. What we want to do is to provide families with a little more resources to rely on and to fall back on when that happens.

"We've got support from the town of Fort Smith. We are hoping that this ride will get kids to fulfill their dreams and also help them to set goals. Kids need to know that they can do whatever they need to do, that they can dream and make their life what they want it to be. So this is also what it is all about. We see a tremendous need for these services in our community," said Genaille.

This is Genaille's second time cycling to Winnipeg. His first trip was from Edmonton to Winnipeg in 1998.

"I became aware of Type 2 diabetes, the adult onset, about four years ago. That is when I did my first run across the prairies. I mean the number of people getting diabetes in the Aboriginal community then was just incredible. Somebody had to do something. So I took a leave of absence and away I went. When I got to Winnipeg, Global news covered it and we did an interview for a couple of the northern communities concerning diabetes, so that trip did create awareness for diabetes. It fulfilled our hopes," said Genaille.

"I'm very proud of him," said Barb. "It's tough on me while he is on the road; there is a lot of worry. It takes a lot of personal initiative to do what he is doing. This is his second time biking to Winnipeg, so he now knows what to expect and for him to do it a second time, biking even further, says a lot about the guy, but that is just the way he is."