A Ride to End Polio

It all began as our collective passion. My husband, Assistant Governor for Zone 5A, Lemuelle Ticman and my sister-in-law, Good President of the Rotary Club of Suburban East Rizal, Loise Ticman-Canson shared my love for cycling. We rode our bikes thrice a week in the morning before we became pre-occupied with our day jobs. Two years in cycling, passion eventually became a source of purpose.

The Rotary Club of Suburban East Rizal kicked off its first Ride to End Polio last October 11 in Antipolo City. A public image campaign to raise awareness of Rotary’s work to eradicate Polio, over 60 cyclists joined donning their jerseys that prominently display End Polio Now.

More than 10 different groups and motorists united in this campaign - Monton Philippines, Alcoplus Rubbing Alcohol, Fittitos and Fittitas, Lifecycle Bike Shop, Aspire Pro, Team Bakit List X Row4Boys, Valley Golf Cycling Club, Standard Insurance Cycling Team, Team Pilipinas, Haven of Angels Memorial Chapels, Paceline Cycling Hub, Factor PH Cycling Team, as well as members from Rotary Club of Iron Wheels. There were also individual riders who participated.

In our End Polio jersey (some had End Polio stickers on their helmets or bikes), we took our bikes from Shell Marcos Highway in Cainta to Sumulong Highway with a quick stop at the RC Rizal Premier’s Rotary Marker. From there, we went to Daang Bakal Road and concluded the ride in Dulo Cafe in Taktak, Antipolo City where we enjoyed some coffee and chit-chat.

Here, we learned that one of the cyclists, Atty. Butch Marasigan, has a father who survived polio. The very reason he joined the campaign. His father contracted the disease in his mid-twenties prompting him to stop everything until he recovered. After his father’s disease, his family has never been the same.

Polio knows no borders. Without vaccination, it can quickly spread from one person to another or one country to another. The Ride to End Polio is our voice, as cyclists, to call the public to act and eradicate polio now! 

As the first organization to envision a polio-free world through mass immunization of children, we believe that Rotary’s work is vital, and lending our voice, however small, helps. But this is only the beginning. President Loise Ticman-Canson and the rest of the Rotary Club of Subruban East Rizal plan to launch a series of End Polio rides hoping to raise funds and awareness for End Polio Now.

Written by: Spouse Rotarian Roxanne Ticman