By Sheldon Spackman

Former Red Deer man to cycle the world to help those with PTSD

Mar 27, 2018 | 5:00 AM

A former Red Deer man is preparing to embark on a three-year cycling trip around the world with his dog Ginger to help raise money and awareness for people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma–related mental illness.

Brian Nadon, now a Calgary resident, has created the Vatic Foundation, an organization that employs community support to help people pursue healthy and hopeful futures, is beginning the Golden Tour ‘Paws Around the Globe’ starting June 1 in St. John’s Newfoundland.

Nadon says the tour with his golden retriever will initially take him across Canada from the east coast to Vancouver, then down to Patagonia, up to the U.S., then across Europe and the Middle East before making his way back to Canada.

“Our journey is going to be a three-year journey but the opening portion of it will be here in Canada,” says Nadon. “The reason why is we really want to bring awareness not so much just to post-traumatic stress but to trauma and how it affects people. At the same time, have a reason to give back and for us, the number one reason is to provide education and to provide scholarship funding to those either within a family group or within the community or themselves directly have been traumatized or have gone through post-traumatic stress.”

Nadon describes PTSD as a personal affair for many but affects us all.

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“When we think about post-traumatic stress, we automatically gravitate towards thinking about our military or thinking about our first responders,” explains Nadon. “What we haven’t thought about are even people like yourself. Trauma can affect anyone at any time and I think what’s important is not to dismiss it but to recognize it and try to figure out ways to help that individual.”

Nadon anticipates his biggest challenge to be waking up each morning knowing he has 80 – 100 kms to cycle with his five-year-old dog.

“More so than anything else, it’s the time alone,” admits Nadon. “That’s the part that will probably affect me the most. Not having days where I can communicate with someone, I think that will probably get to me.”

However, Nadon hopes that meeting new people and seeing new communities will help him overcome the inevitable loneliness he expects to be dealing with.

“Seeing parts of Canada that I like to think that I’ve seen but I never really have because I was either driving too fast down the highway or just didn’t look,” says Nadon. “Cycling will give us that opportunity to stop in the places normally I would never stop.”

In terms of preparing his body for the upcoming grind, Nadon says he’s been doing a lot of indoor cycling and weight training.

“The biggest thing that has started now is my diet and Ginger’s diet because the two of us love our carbohydrates and we need to cut it out cause once we get out onto the road, things will be a little bit limited.”

Nadon estimates the cross-Canada portion of his trip should bring him and Ginger into Red Deer around the August long weekend this year and hopes that people accept his journey’s message to value yourself.

“Define your goals and say ‘yes’,” he exclaims. “Continue to learn to understand that life always has something to offer and if you’re not pushing yourself, then no one else is going to push you. Be unique, be an individual.”

To learn more about the cause and to follow Brian on his journey, visit www.vaticfoundation.com.