Cycling event honours legacy of late mental health advocate
Jeremy McGoran took his own life last week after battling with depression and anxiety for many years
Jeremy McGoran will be remembered at the Ride Don’t Hide event in Penticton scheduled for Sunday, June 25. The Canadian Mental Health Association holds rides all across the country. As always, it will be a day of hope and optimism, but this year it will be bittersweet as the CMHA South Okanagan Similkameen and wider community mourns the sudden loss of mental health champion McGoran who died by suicide on June 9 in Penticton after battling valiantly with depression and anxiety for a number of years.
McGoran was passionate about championing help-seeking behavior and encouraging others in the community to reach out for mental health help and support and demonstrated this passion in his roles as a member of the CMHA South Okanagan Similkameen board of directors and a spokesperson for the Penticton Ride Don’t Hide event.
“Jeremy’s passing is a huge loss to the community, the CMHA family and to the many people who were impacted and inspired by his personal story,” said board president Colleen Caron.
“Jeremy will be forever remembered for his bravery and honesty in speaking openly about his struggles in the hope of motivating others to do likewise. We express our sincere condolences to his wife Mare and son Thomas, extended family and the larger community.”
The aim of Ride Don’t Hide is to support and encourage others to seek help and end stigma. CMHA believes that the best way to honour McGoran, and his bravery and selflessness in speaking publicly and openly about the challenges he experienced, is to encourage people to seek help when they are beginning to struggle.
“The tragic loss of Jeremy McGoran this past weekend both saddens me and galvanizes me to take further action,” said Ride Don’t Hide founder Michael Schratter.
“Jeremy was fortunate to have the support of his family and colleagues throughout the management of his illness and I would like to extend my deepest condolences to them at this difficult time.”
“In Canada male suicide is the leading cause of death across several age categories and 3,000 families suffer a devastating personal loss each year. I strongly believe that the high mortality rate is in a large part a result of a society that still teaches the false and foolish notion that men should stay silent when in times of emotional turmoil. It is my hope that events such as Ride Don’t Hide will address these unhealthy stereotypes and put an end to the shame and stigma experienced by too many men.”
Ride Don’t Hide is open to cyclists of all ages and skill levels. Registration is $45 for youth and adults and free for children 12 and under. Register online at www.ridedonthide.com. You can also register on the day of the event at 8 a.m., and the ride starts at 8:30 a.m. am at KVR Middle School in Penticton. A free barbeque is included with registration.
A Ride Don’t Hide event is also being held at Creekside Park in Coldstream. For details on that event, also scheduled for June 25, visit: vernon.cmha.bc.ca.
Meanwhile a public memorial service for McGoran is set for Monday at 2 p.m. at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre followed by a slopitch fundraiser at Lions Park beginning at 6 p.m.