Kevin Mills is preparing for a cross-Canada bike trip like no other.
As a quadriplegic, the Newmarket resident will be completing the ride by handbike beginning next month.
When he was 28, Mills had a swimming accident while in Cuba for his sister's wedding in 2009. After being transported back to Canada on a med-evac plane, and surgery at Sunnybrook Hospital, he was told he was a C6 quadriplegic.
He and his wife, Heather, travelled to Florida for a recovery program called activity-based therapy, which was successful for him, physically and mentally. When they returned to Newmarket, Heather created a not-for-profit called Walk It Off to provide activity-based therapy here.
Mills has use of his biceps, some of his forearms, his shoulders and neck, but is paralyzed from the waist down and doesn't have use of his hands or triceps. While he said most C6 quadriplegics use power wheelchairs, he has a manual chair that he is able to get around in by himself.
Therapy helped him return to an active lifestyle, initially taking part in half marathons in his wheelchair and then full marathons with a lay-down handcycle. Then, he got a Batec bike that attaches to his wheelchair.
He began biking with friend Nikki Davenport, who is able-bodied and works as a kinesiologist at Walk It Off. They would bike everyday after work and then one time she asked him if he would bike across the country.
They created Pedaling Possibilities, a not-for-profit to promote activity-based therapy, as well as accessibility and inclusion for people of all abilities.
The pair are planning a cross-country ride beginning in St. John's, Newfoundland in May and hitting every province to get to Victoria, British Columbia. The goal is to raise awareness but also find a wheelchair accessible route across Canada and share information as they go. This includes which hotels and restaurants are accessible, and explaining how the route could be navigated by people of different abilities.
You can hear more of his story and make a donation here.
— With files from Elizabeth Keith
