GANDER, N.L. – If there’s anyone who has an appreciation for the Ride For Sight’s fight against blindness, it’s Wayne Hynes.
Complications with diabetes rendered the St. Anthony, Great Northern Peninsula, man blind for two months back in the ‘90s.
“Everything was shadows, I was being lead around the house,” he said. “It’s a pretty scary feeling.”
Medical procedures restored sight to one of his eyes.
After talking about Ride For Sight with a friend and buying a new bike in 2004, Hynes decided to get involved.
“I know what it’s like to be blind, so it really was an incentive to get involved,” he said.
Both Hynes and his wife Bonnie have been making the more than 700 kilometre trip to Gander ever since, and 2018 marked their 15th year involved with Ride For Sight.
“This year I’ve raised $1,200, but in the last 10 years I can say I’ve raised between $10-15,000,” he said.
The Hynes were two of 500 registered bikers to take part in the fundraiser that fights against blindness and supports vision research. According to organizers, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ride For Sight branch raised close to $80,000.
The event has always been organized by volunteers, however, this year Steele Hotels, the Town of Gander and the Comfort Inn stepped in to host the province’s 38th Ride For Sight.
Derrick Andrews has been involved with the Ride For Sight for 34 years, and spent more than 20 years on the organizing committee.
He stepped away from the committee last year to move to British Columbia, but he has since moved back to the island.
To see the town and local businesses step forward to keep the Ride For Sight going saw a lot of praise from Andrews.
“They have kept the spirit of the Ride For Sight alive,” he said. “The organization has been good, the entertainment and events has been good, they really went above and beyond to make this a successful year.”
