Bishop’s Son Hand Cycles Through The Sault For Polio

SooNews Wire for SooNews.ca
Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 1:00PM

It’s taken over three months and 4,000 km, but Ramesh Ferris’ Cycle to Walk cross-Canada hand cycling campaign has raised over $250,000 for the fight to eradicate polio – and he’s only half finished, arriving at the pivotal half way mark in Sault Ste. Marie.

“We need to end polio, just so we know we can actually do it,” says Ferris, a polio survivor and adopted son of Anglican Bishop Ron Ferris. “How can we expect to end AIDS, cancer, or any number of other diseases when we’ve had the solution to polio for so long, yet we still can’t seem to beat it?”

There is no cure for polio, but a preventative vaccine has existed for 53 years. It is history’s greatest cause of disability.

Ferris, whose legs were paralyzed by polio in infancy, urges Canadians not to forget about the disease. “Right now, 11 per cent of Canadians have not received the polio vaccination,” he says. “Those people are vulnerable. Australia declared its first case of polio in decades at this time last year.”

The fight to eradicate polio – led by Rotary International and the WHO – is the largest public health initiative in world history. After two decades and $4 billion, the job is 99 per cent complete. Annual funding shortfalls of about 20 per cent are preventing complete success.

“Ninety-nine per cent isn’t good enough,” says Ferris, who graduated from Sir James Dunn Collegiate in 1998. “We’re so close – it’s time to finish the job.” With continued commitment, polio is line to become the second disease in human history to be successfully eradicated. Smallpox was eradicated in 1979.

Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, says in the June 2008 issue of The Rotarian magazine, “When the last chapter on polio eradication is finally written, it will tell one of the most spectacular success stories in public health.”

Cycle to Walk is a national fundraising and awareness initiative that aims to help eradicate polio, educate Canadians about the disease’s continued threat, and rehabilitate polio survivors worldwide. Visit cycletowalk.com for more details.

Ferris, who arrived in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday will take a small break before heading back on the road early next week. Ferris is staying at his adopted parent's home in Sault Ste. Marie and plans to take part in the Rotaryfest Community Day Parade on Saturday.

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