Hi, my name is Maria, and it was my pleasure to have married Mr Russell Walker, or Mr
Walker as I called him. We were very formal in our household :).
Russ was an incredibly active and wonderful human being. He loved to ride his bike and
was a founding member of team Inch by Inch, participating in the MS Bike every year for the last eleven years.
He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in November of 2022. After major brain surgery to remove as much of it as possible, he was left very disabled for the remainder of his life. He was unable to use the right side of his body. Yet he learned to walk with a cane and a supportive brace for his leg. His dream was to continue riding and achieve what he could to support causes close to his heart, such as MS and the Glenrose Hospital. He set himself goals to continue riding… now for the tricky part.
Enter You Can Ride 2. With the help of the members of this team, who primarily work
with children and young people, they found him a trike and spent hours with Russ of
their own time, adapting it for a one-sided rider and working with Russ to get it right.
Add in the support from a local Orthotist, who himself spent hours creating a custom
orthotic to ensure Russ’ right ankle, knee and hip were fully supported in the pedal, as it
was a passive passenger, with his left leg doing all the work.
It was YCR2 who opened this closed door for Russ, allowing him to get outside almost
daily and giving him a feeling of freedom he did not have at any other time. He could
move freely forward, listening to the breeze and the birds, saying hi to neighbours as he
passed, and taking in some rays. It was his time. And it gave him the will to strive for his
goals every day.
He rode part of the MS bike alongside his team while on chemotherapy and hardly able
to eat. He rode the entire 60km around Pigeon Lake for the Glenrose Courage ride. He
rode over the finish line with Matt Devine, who completed an across-Canada ride in
2023, ‘The Ride for Change.’
He supported the MS Tour of Champions in October 2023 in San Diego, hoping to ride it
also, but he could not due to circumstances beyond his control.
He set these goals, achieved them, and felt like he had made a difference after the
devastation that tried to hold him down. He got back up and pushed himself to get there,
and YCR2 was there and gave this gift to him. He passed away in February 2024 but
felt happy knowing he gave everything he had.
You Can Ride 2 is honouring his memory by creating the ‘Russ Walker Freedom Fund, ‘
which aims to benefit adults and young people by allowing them to experience the
freedom he felt and so greatly needed.
Thank you, YCR2. You are doing much-needed work because we all need a bit of joy in
our lives, and you are giving that to children and adults, as you did for Mr Walker. I will
be forever grateful and hope to support this organisation to continue spreading this joy.
–Maria Walker
Donations made in honour of Russ can be made through Canada Helps with the notes “Russ Walker Freedom Fund.“
YCR2 and the Russ Walker Freedom Fund are fundraising for a Duet Bike to add to our loan pool! We had a test run during our most recent Try a Bike Event and it was a hit! Kids were lining up to have their turn on the duet bike with their families.
The DUET bike accommodates all ages and sizes – so everyone can enjoy the independence and joy of cycling!
