A 74-year-old North Vancouver man will soon be pumping the bike pedals for a good cause.
Mark Charland is preparing to embark on a 21-day journey across Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast on his electric tricycle next week to raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Red Cross, two organizations that helped him after he suffered a stroke four years ago.
“I feel I’ve got a lot of things to still accomplish in my life, and one of them would be giving back to society for all the wonderful support I’ve had since I had a stroke,” Charland said. “A large part of my recovery was due to family, community, medical support, and I got time now to pay that back.”
Charland had a stroke two months after turning 70 in 2021. He had open-heart surgery two years later and saw slight improvements.
But the two organizations helped make his life and recovery easier, with Red Cross providing a free wheelchair, walker and bathroom accessibility accessories, and Heart and Stroke Foundation providing support through rehabilitation programs and facilities.
The stroke survivor had a turning point in November last year, as he was still unable to walk without proper balance and faced debilitating hip pain. Looking for a temporary solution, the North Vancouver resident began writing to e-trike companies hoping to find a bike to move around easier.
A company called Mooncool answered the call, and Charland received a free e-trike that same month.
“It just immediately changed my life,” Charland said. “Still to this day I can’t walk more than a couple of blocks without pain and discomfort, so the trike opened up a lot of doors that gave me much more freedom.”
Now Charland goes everywhere with the e-trike, biking in locations he used to frequent on the North Shore before his stroke, like the Spirit Trail and Mosquito Creek Trail.
After he got the e-trike, he wanted to give back in some way. That sparked the idea of the journey up Vancouver Island and down the Sunshine Coast to raise funds. Charland said he will start his trek in Victoria, pedalling his way through to Courtenay, then taking a ferry to Powell River, riding to Gibsons and heading back home to North Van.
Charland said the trip doesn’t normally take that long, but he is giving himself more time to rest and visit family in-between visiting cities.
“There’s no rush, there’s no deadline,” he said. “There are a lot of people who have been to open heart surgery and a lot of people have had strokes, some a lot worse than mine … so I’m one of the lucky ones.”
As the days count down until Charland treks off to the island, he took his e-trike to a bike shop in North Vancouver to ensure it’s in top shape.
On top of Charland raising funds for the two organizations during his 21-day journey, he is also looking forward to chatting with people he meets along the way, sharing his story.
“I think there’ll be lots of news to share with those who are interested in the trike itself, and those who really support these charities,” Charland said. “I’m looking forward to that exchange with strangers, and it’s a pretty part of the country. It’s going to be a fun and exciting journey.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
[email protected]
https://x.com/abbyyluciano
https://bsky.app/profile/abbyluciano.bsky.social
Want to stay updated on North Vancouver and West Vancouver news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
