This May, Matt Varey, a key volunteer with Breakthrough T1D since 2001, will embark on an ambitious two-month-long, 7,500-kilometer cycling journey across Canada.
As Matt rides Coast-to-Coast for Cures in support of Breakthrough T1D, his goal is that his passion and drive will inspire people to give generously to make each day better for those living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) while driving toward cures.
Matt has held a series of key volunteer roles within Breakthrough T1D. He currently serves on both the Breakthrough T1D International Board of Directors as Vice Chair and the Breakthrough T1D Canada Board of Directors.
Matt sat down with Breakthrough T1D Canada to share more about his motivations behind taking on such an ambitious fundraiser and why supporting the T1D community is so important to him.
You’ve been involved with Breakthrough T1D as a volunteer and board member for over 20 years. How did you first get connected with the organization?
Matt Varey: My relationship with Breakthrough T1D (then JDRF) started in 2001. My job at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) transferred me to Toronto. At that time, we were asked to build a new Canadian business within the bank, and it entailed me and other leaders going across Canada and speaking to employees very passionately and credibly about what they were going to help build.
Banking is a human business based on trust. I had to get out of my introverted shell and talk to employees, so I would ask them, “Who are you as a person? I want to get to know you as a human beyond just work.” I had no idea what Breakthrough T1D (then JDRF) was at the time. And you’d hear from people about their kids or sports, but one or two people would get teary or speak with a crack in their voice. So, naturally, I would probe a bit and ask more, and they would tell me about their family member and their journey with T1D.
So, when I got back from this Canada-wide work trip, I learned about the Breakthrough T1D “battle of the banks” Ride and thought to myself, “Wow, I have to do this.” That spring, I was part of the RBC Ride team. I saw all these people raising money for T1D research, and I made this connection to the people I met along that work trip affected by T1D, and I got the bug. My mother always said, “What’s given is yours forever,” and I knew I had a new purposeful journey with Breakthrough T1D.
It all flowed from there. I became the chair of the RBC Ride Cabinet and then the National Cabinet Chair. I saw the power of progress; I saw the dedication and the passion of people. I said, “I can’t stop at the Ride.” And then I met a fabulous mentor, one of the most important people in my life, Peter Oliver.
Peter was one of the founding fundraisers of what was then JDRF Canada because of his daughter Vanessa, who lives with T1D. He was such a giving person, and he taught me things I will never forget about giving back. He told me, “Always think big, never take no for an answer.”
Peter was the definition of a mentor, about what Breakthrough T1D stood for and the people who worked there. And he knew that he had this young guy named Matt who would follow anything he asked. I’ve been a Board Member, Vice Chair, and Chair of Breakthrough T1D Canada, and I’ve never felt a culture of giving, togetherness, and dedication like I do from the people at this organization. This led me to being a board member of Breakthrough T1D International (headquartered in the United States), and now I am currently the Vice-Chair of Breakthrough T1D International.
This journey can be credited in so many ways to Peter, who was, is, and always will be my north star.
I’ve never felt a culture of giving, togetherness, and dedication like I do from the people at this organization.”
How did you devise the idea for Coast to Coast for Cures?
Matt Varey: As I retired in the summer of 2024, I thought about something my mum always taught me: “Never stop moving and never let the old man in.” So, with mentors like my mum telling me to “keep moving” and Peter Oliver saying, “Make sure it’s big, make sure it stands out, and make sure it challenges you,” I came up with the idea for the event.
Riding across Canada for 57 days and 7,500 km coast to coast for a cause is doing something different, and honestly, it scares me, which is good. I also love Canada so much, so that’s part of my journey, too. And I knew RBC would always have my back. As a mission, values-based organization, they told me in my retirement that if I ever did anything for Breakthrough T1D, they would be involved and support me 100%.
I want to challenge myself and hold true to my mum and Peter. My wife said she would take two months off work, bring the dog, and drive behind me. My wife is my everything, and I could never do this without her.
And one evening I made a public proclamation that I was going to do this, and then there was no turning back.
The world is changed by your actions, not by your words.”
What are you most excited about for the ride, both personally and for raising awareness of Breakthrough T1D and type 1 diabetes?
Matt Varey: The world is changed by your actions, not by your words. Human beings, deep inside, want to see people accomplish something that is hard but shows dedication. I think that it attracts human beings to be generous. If we’re going to be asking people to help us raise half a million dollars, they want to see your skin in the game.
I’m excited about seeing the generosity of people. I’m an optimist; I always believe tomorrow is going to be better than today. I’m excited to see Canada for two months with my wife and see my former RBC colleagues, whom I miss dearly.
Do you have a message for the Breakthrough T1D community?
Matt Varey: We will never ever stop moving forward for cures. Ever. And I am just one of thousands and thousands of incredibly dedicated volunteers who also wake up every day and say the same thing, with even more credibility than myself.
As Mary Tyler Moore, who lived with T1D herself, would say, “You can’t be brave if you’ve only had easy things happen to you.” And people who live with T1D are brave every day. So please know that my commitment to you is also to be brave. And we will never ever stop until we get to a world free from type 1 diabetes.
To follow Matt’s progress on his journey or to support him, please visit http://www2.breakthrought1d.org/goto/coast2coast4cures.
Editor’s note: This interview is an abbreviated version of one previously published by Breakthrough T1D Canada. Read the full interview here.
