Ride Yonge/stay young

By Cynthia Stables
CMS Communications

At 8 a.m. on May 9, Rocco Rossi, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO) will begin a 1,800 km bike ride on Canada’s longest street: Yonge Street (Hwy 11). Starting in Rainy River at the old CN Station and scheduled to finish up in Toronto on May 31, Mr. Rossi will bike an average of 100 kilometres per day on some of Northern Ontario’s most beautiful yet difficult terrain.
Rocco Rossi is setting out to raise awareness of the Heart & Stroke Chase McEachern Tribute Fund in support of AED’s (Automated External Cardiac Defibrillators).
In Northern Ontario, the average rate of people who die from cardiovascular disease is 20% higher than the rest of the province. The odds of survival for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are approximately 5%. With each passing minute, the probability of survival declines by 7 – 10%, according to the HSFO. Defibrillation can improve cardiac arrest survival rates by up to 50 % if delivered in the first few minutes.
The money to help place AEDs and associated training in high priority public places across Ontario, comes from the Heart & Stroke Chase McEachern Tribute Fund (see attached backgrounder).