Lina Konovalov

Special to the Record

Last week, Beckett Williamson was introduced as one of the youngest riders ever for the Comox Bike Co YANA Ride annual fundraiser. 鈥淥ne of the youngest鈥� being the operative term.

Meet Caelan McIntosh.

Caelan is a YANA baby, whose first YANA Ride came before he was even born!

Knowing in advance that their baby would need to be delivered at BC Children鈥檚 Hospital, Cam and Melissa McIntosh started Team Broken, Battered and Brews-ed for last year鈥檚 YANA Ride to raise money in hopes of 鈥減aying it forward鈥� for their intended Vancouver trip leading up to Mel鈥檚 estimated due date of Sept. 19, 2021. And raise money they did! Their team (with mama Mel still carrying wee Caelan) was YANA鈥檚 second-place fundraising team last year, raising nearly $7,000. Cam was the top individual fundraising rider for the 2021 event raising $4,304.13 for YANA.

Baby Caelan made his arrival on August 25, 2021, at BCCH, and this year, is riding for YANA again, and raising funds to celebrate Caelan鈥檚 first birthday as a way of saying thank you for the help YANA provided.

From now until Aug. 21, bikers across the Comox Valley and beyond will be riding in the 2022 Comox Bike Co. YANA Ride in support of YANA and the local families this organization helps.

YANA, or You Are Not Alone, is a local registered charity that provides travel and accommodation assistance to families who need to access medical care for a child or pregnant mother somewhere outside the Valley.

Medical trips can be extremely costly, with some trips costing several thousand dollars. No matter the cost, YANA is there to help every step of the way. These trips are life-changing for the families in need, and they occur in huge part due to the efforts of the incredible YANA riders gathering pledges and the donors and sponsors supporting them.

Last year YANA was able to provide $265,000 in travel funding and accommodation support. The more pledges that are raised throughout the ride, the more families YANA can say yes to at times when they need it most.

Registration is ongoing. The Comox Bike Co YANA Ride allows you to chart your own course, riding when, where and how you like. On Sunday, Aug. 21, all riders, sponsors and YANA supporters throughout the community are invited to gather at Comox Marina Park between 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for the annual Party in the Park celebration to congratulate everyone鈥檚 great achievements.

For more information, registration, or to pledge a rider or team (such as Team Recovering Brews-ers) visit

ALSO: Beckett鈥檚 family grateful YANA has been there for the long haul

Lina Konovalov is the student event marketing specialist for YANA.