A cross-country journey to raise awareness about a genetic heart disease rolled into Ottawa on Saturday
An Ontario man cycling across Canada to raise awareness about Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy peddled into Ottawa on Saturday.
Adam Hoerdt stopped in the capital to meet supporters before he heads southwest to Brockville, then on to Waterloo, Ont.
Known as ARVC, it is a genetic disorder that can cause sudden cardiac arrest in people who appear perfectly healthy.
Hoerdt says the disease of the heart muscle has affected members of his family, including his children. He also lost his wife to the disease 20 years ago.
"We lost my wife in 2001 at the age of 31 while we were doing something that we loved, side-by-side on the outfield of a softball game," Hoerdt said. "My 23-year-old son has had five cardiac arrests from this disease and is currently in a vegetative state in Cambridge, Ont."
Hoerdt’s other son Benjamin also has ARVC, along with six other members of their extended family. He says what his dad is doing makes him proud and has created a network of people across the country who are there to support each other.
"It’s been nice to find a support network, like all the people that are here today, to help get through it as a community not just have to go through it on our own," Benjamin said.
The ARVC diagnosis has given him the chance to reflect on his life and find ways to make it better.
"It completely changed my outlook on life, I was kind of not the person I’d have liked to have been for some of my life, this really made me open up," Benjamin said. "Don’t postpone joy, don’t hesitate. If you enjoy something just do it."
Hoerdt’s says he has three goals in this journey - Raise awareness, build a family support network, and support research into ARVC. His family foundation is raising $75,000 a year to support a research fellowship.
"We don’t have to be content with, 'Oh somebody died of a bad heart or cardiac arrest', let’s figure out why and ARVC is one of the reasons why it happens.”
You can follow Hoerdt’s journey on Facebook and learn more about ARVC and support his ride here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.