I was asked by one of my colleagues to write a short article for the winter newsletter about having the opportunity to meet Michael Schratter, and in fact ride with him on what was the last leg of his epic 6 continent, 33 country, and 40,000 kilometer bike tour to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around mental illness. He was sponsored by the Canadian mental health associations BC division and the money he raised on his journey will go directly to programs. He rode the equivalent distance of circumnavigating the earth. He mentioned that he had to change some of the plans around the original route as he was running out of kilometers and wanting to access as many countries as he could.
I joined the ride on Nov 12th which was the last leg oF his journey to Rogers Arena for a celebration. There were many riders that started their day very early from Tsawassen. I met up with them at more than half way to the arena at Langara College on 49th Ave. The day was marked with rain and a brisk wind with the occasional break. I couldn't help but think of the ride back to my car when the event was done and how cold and wet I would be by then - not to mention the ride back was uphill. Even in that short span of time between the college and the arena I came to realize what planning, dedication and perseverance it must have taken Michael to get up every morning knowing what challenges lie ahead. Michael had quite a crowd form around him at the college stop to say hello, including many of his friends. There were dozens of photos being taken and just when the announcement went out that we had to be on our way. I finally got close to Michael and asked to be photographed with him. At the same time there were shouts of "let's get going", and what happened next gave me an indication of what makes Michael," Michael". He insisted that I get my picture no matter how long it took to find someone to figure out the idiosyncrasies of my camera. I got the shot! Onward to Rogers Arena!
When we got close to the arena there was a triumphant cheering sound that seemed to last forever and it grew in waves as Michael entered the arena. There were table's setup inside with representatives from various agencies and the mood was as exuberant as any event I had ever been to.
The difference was that this event was a celebration of life despite the mental health challenges that many of the attendees including myself had faced. This was a moment to wear it on your sleeve and be able to share that with a smile and laugh amongst mostly strangers. The speeches were very uplifting and left few dry eyes in the crowd. There were speeches from Michael's students and speeches from Mike Gillis and Senator Larry Campbell. I did stay for the entire event and was feeling so motivated by all I had seen and heard that my ride back uphill in the cold seemed to be over very quickly. I had a few people took over at me probably wondering why I had this smile on my face on such a nasty day. This is a new day; the conversations are going on across the country, "It's Happening!"
