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This year, I'm excited to join the Friends for Life Bike Rally for the first time, trekking the 600km ride from Toronto to Montreal in support of people living with HIV/AIDS.

For 27 years now, the Friends for Life Bike Rally has brought our local community together, raising awareness, breaking down stigma, and supporting individuals and saving lives. The Rally supports the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (PWA), the Kingston Trellis HIV & Community Care and the AIDS Community Care Montréal (ACCM). These organizations provide vital services to thousands of individuals and advocate towards equitable access to care and breaking down stigma.

Those who know me personally will know that road cycling has been a big part of my life in the past three years, as I call it, my healthiest obsession. It’s been a game changer towards my mental health and wellness, keeping me sane through some of life’s difficult moments. Last year, according to Strava, I clocked over 8,000 km on two wheels (and that doesn’t even count my commuting rides) – So this year, I wanted to put my mileage towards a good cause. Now, every minute on the saddle goes towards not just me and my wellness and the satisfaction of pushing myself, but also, towards saving lives and supporting people in need. 

This is a cause that is close to my heart and in need of urgent action, and I count with your support in the following ways:

• You can donate using this page to help me reach my fundraising goal
• You can share this link with your network to help spread awareness and support my fundraising effort
• And if you’re local to Toronto and into cycling, you can consider joining the Friends for Life Bike Rally and create your own fundraising page!

Since the start of the epidemic over 44.1 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses globally, that’s more than one-Canada’s worth of people, with LGBTQ+ individuals having been disproportionately impacted. Today, another ~40.8 million people are currently living with HIV, with 53% of them being women and girls. In 2024, 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV according to the UN. This year, sweeping cuts to US funding for global HIV programs could lead to more than 4 million AIDS-related deaths and 6 million more HIV infections by 2029, after years of US-led investment into AIDS programs has reduced the number of people killed by the disease to the lowest levels seen in more than three decades, and provided life-saving medicines for some of the world’s most vulnerable.

People living with HIV still experience immense stigma and discrimination, facing challenges in accessing affordable medication, housing and food, social isolation, substance use challenges, barriers to settling in Canada and much more. I chose to join the Bike Rally because it is a grassroots movement that helps adress these challenges in our backyard and support those in need in our community. 

I count with your support, any help is sincerely appreciated :)