Hi there and welcome to my website “theroadipedal.com”. My name is Gordon Paterson from Canada born in Kelowna B.C and grew up in Port Coquitlam from 1960 until I left to travel in 1983. I have lived in Scotland since 1987 and now reside just outside Edinburgh. My family and I have traveled to Canada many times over the years, mostly to British Columbia where we would explore and visit family and friends. In 2013 my very dear Aunt Helene whom I was very close to had passed away in the hospital unexpectedly due to heart and stroke complications. In 2015 I received that unwanted phone call, that my Mother Ann Paterson suffered a stroke and from which she never recovered. Fortunately, I managed to get to her the day before she passed away. Then in 2016 my Father James Paterson suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and through hard work and support within the hospital and in the community he recovered. I knew that I wanted to help those affected by heart disease and stroke in some way. When I had made the connection with Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) and saw the work that they do through funding research into heart disease and stroke, providing recovery support and promoting a healthy active lifestyle for those affected by heart disease and stroke I knew this was where I could help. I then made contact with Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and discovered that the work they do was very similar to CHSS. Having strong ties with Canada and Britain I wanted to bring the two organizations together and raise funds for the work they do.​​​