A few years ago I met a man, who didn't look ill even though he told me he had Prostate Cancer. Over a period of...
Established in 2018, the Gander Motorcycle Ride for Dad has raised over $25,000 dollars for the fight against prostate cancer. The proceeds from our annual events are invested in ground-breaking prostate cancer research and life-saving public awareness campaigns of the disease and the importance of early detection.
Kingston-Quinte
A few years ago I met a man, who didn't look ill even though he told me he had Prostate Cancer. Over a period of...
Avalon
My journey with the Ride for Dad started because of my dad. I had never heard of Prostate Cancer nor was aware of the Ride...
Manitoba
In 2009 I met this amazing person after hearing his story and deciding we should start a chapter in Manitoba for Ride For Dad. Over...
Edmonton
John McNeilly was a founding member of the Edmonton Motorcycle Ride for Dad (“MRFD”) and served as the Co-chair for the first 4 years, and...
A few years ago I met a man, who didn’t look ill even though he told me he had Prostate Cancer. Over a period of time I got to know him better. He was always jovial and I thought PC can’t be all that bad. Then one day I was having coffee with him and before I left I said to him:
…What are you up to this afternoon Charlie? Well I guess he thought it was time to clue me in.
He said, Garry, if someone had told me ONE year ago about the PSA test, I wouldn’t be going home this afternoon to arrange my own funeral!
I was speechless!
Not until later did I find out about the PSA test and that it can be used as a tool to detect Prostate Cancer. I didn’t know then that a dozen men in Canada die from it every day!
Not long after, Charlie passed away.
Since that day I have been raising funds through our own organization, the PCFF.
My journey with the Ride for Dad started because of my dad. I had never heard of Prostate Cancer nor was aware of the Ride for Dad until my dad was diagnosed. His diagnosis taught me really fast about Prostate Cancer and just how harmful it can be.
My dad was diagnosed in April 2009 and his treatment ended in October 2009. It was the longest 6-7 months of our lives. I am happy to report my dad survived Prostate Cancer and has been cancer-free ever since. I’ll never forget shortly after that driving down Kenmount Road one day and seeing a billboard for the Ride for Dad and thinking I need to be involved!
I volunteered with our local chapter on the Registration for 4 or 5 years and then moved into an Executive Role with our local chapter. My dad is my hero for fighting and now it is my turn to fight for him and anyone who may be impacted by this silent killer known as Prostate Cancer.
In 2009 I met this amazing person after hearing his story and deciding we should start a chapter in Manitoba for Ride For Dad. Over the past decade, this man has inspired me and many others with his determination, courage and a great love for life. He has given countless days and hours each year, getting the RFD message and awareness out there will telling his own story of survival. He is one of the main reasons we all Ride for Dad.
John McNeilly was a founding member of the Edmonton Motorcycle Ride for Dad (“MRFD”) and served as the Co-chair for the first 4 years, and continued as a Director until his death. He was awarded the Kiwanis Top Cop award in 2009 for his work with and for MRFD.
John served 2 years as the Western Canadian Manager overseeing all rides in Western Canada and was instrumental in starting rides in Didsbury, Vancouver Island, Yellowknife, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.
John’s quiet style of leadership was respected by all and his sometimes dark, but well-timed humor was sure to set the tone and mood of a meeting. He never spoke before thinking about his response, and his guidance was sound. He was involved in not just MRFD, but HOG, Blue Knights, Masons, to name just a few as well as serving 35 years with the Edmonton Police Service.
John started with the Edmonton Police Service in 1977, was promoted to the Drug Unit in 1988, and spent the remainder of his career in plainclothes with the exception of an 18 month period when he was in the Sergeant’s position. In 1992, John left the Drug Unit to work in a variety of other investigation units. John received a “Police Exemplary Service” medal in February 1998, and a “First Bar” in 2008. John retired from the Edmonton Police Service on January 25, 2013.
John passed away on March 24, 2020, after a hard battle with lung cancer that spread throughout his body; he was 64 years old. John will be dearly missed by his family, many friends, coworkers, and associates.
Ottawa
For the first 12 years with The Ride For Dad, I rode my ’86 Harley Davidson FLST Heritage Softail, red and cream For the last...
Ottawa
Too bad it took me so long to discover the BMW R1200RT! It is a magnificent, powerful sport touring machine designed and built by German...
Yukon
The first photo is the way my bike looked when I first got it. It's a 1979 Honda Goldwing GL 1000. Aside from the cosmetics...
Yukon
2012 Yamaha Stryker I've only ridden a few bikes, but when you find one that feels right, you know. This bike feels right. The only...
For the first 12 years with The Ride For Dad, I rode my ’86 Harley Davidson FLST Heritage Softail, red and cream
For the last 8 years I have ridden my 2012 Harley Davidson FatBoy Lo, flat black.
Other standard features include ABS Pro, heated grips and seats, Automatic Stability Control, Riding Modes (Road/Rain), Adjustable Power Windshield, On-board Computer Pro, height adjustable rider’s seat and LED lamps.
Pressing the INFO button scrolls through all the menus to setup the bike, including suspension preload (rider, rider with luggage, two-up), Electronic damping settings (Soft, Normal, Hard), travel information such as tire pressure, fuel consumption, fuel range, amazing audio system, and more.
2012 Yamaha Stryker
I’ve only ridden a few bikes, but when you find one that feels right, you know. This bike feels right. The only thing I modified was a seatback -for peace of mind when I have a passenger, particularly my daughter.