'I’m ready to conquer the world': Indigenous man cycles from New Brunswick to B.C. to advocate for mental health
CTV
Nanaimo-born Chris Aubichon is about to return to his home city for the first time in two decades after cycling 5,500 kilometres across the country in hopes of improving his health and education.
Nanaimo-born Chris Aubichon is about to return to his home city for the first time in two decades after cycling 5,500 kilometres across the country in hopes of improving his health and education.
The 44-year-old began peddling from Moncton, New Brunswick on May 11 after learning B.C.’s government was expanding its Provincial Tuition Waiver Program to all former youth in care, regardless of their age. He’s set to arrive in Nanaimo exactly three months later, on Aug. 11.
Speaking to CTV News from a campground in North Vancouver on Tuesday, Aubichon explained that the bike ride seemed “totally attainable” after everything he’s been through.
“As crazy as it sounds, it didn’t sound insurmountable,” said Aubichon, who is Indigenous and described himself as “a direct result of the residential school system.”
“I was in foster homes from age six to 18. I was on welfare, in the streets, an addict, incarcerated—like, riding a bike across the country seemed completely reasonable.”
In his early 20s, Aubichon was diagnosed with chemically-induced anxiety disorder, which he says stemmed from a decade of drug abuse and prevents him from taking medication to treat other mental illnesses he struggles with—bipolar II and depression.
While he’s worked hard to recover from substance-use disorder and avoid recidivism, Aubichon says he’s always felt defeated by his mental health.
