John Pascuzzo has been riding his brother’s motorcycle in support of cancer research for 13 years.
In 2003 Pascuzzo’s brother died from kidney cancer shortly after the third annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad.
“I never really wanted to ride a motorcycle,” Pascuzzo said. “My brother is my inspiration. In fact, the motorcycle (I’m riding) was his bike.”
He added that after his brother’s passing he was fortunate enough to get his motorcycle license and made the easy decision to carry on his tradition in raising funds for cancer research.
Pascuzzo joined hundreds of riders Saturday morning to start their engines and kick-off the Roar for the Cure parade around the city for the 16th annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad.
“We are raising money for awareness of prostate cancer research,” he said.
Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers, and because of that fact Pascuzzo believes raising awareness is the most important part in the battle against the disease.
Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancers among men in Canada, reports the Canadian Health Society.
After the parade, riders began the annual Poker Run. At every station the riders have the opportunity to select a card from a deck and the person with the highest hand receives a prize.
“The last year my brother was riding he ended up with five aces,” Pascuzzo said.
“In honour of his memory the person who has the most aces gets the five aces award.”
At the end of the event, the person with the most aces not only receives a prize but a five ace pin to commemorate Pascuzzo’s brother.
“Whenever I get on the bike he is there with me, so I want people to be with my brother as well.”