I am pretty tired right now and I should probably go to bed soon because it’s way passed my bed time, but I just received an email from my former work partner asking how I am doing on behalf of my former colleagues at Chase Paymentech Canada. My former colleagues have been supporting me and the run from day one and I feel bad that I haven’t been keeping up with my blog so here I am typing while my legs are already half-asleep after a hard run earlier today.
Well, let me start with today’s run. I haven’t been running much in the past week because I have been stretching myself thin among the various things that I felt I had to do and I gave myself all sorts of excuses not to run. As a result, I have not been feeling particular upbeat lately and decided today that I had to go out for a run. I decided to join a local running group for their evening run and let fellow runners motivate me. As expected, I had a good run and I met a few new friends from the running group. One of them was Brenda who has been running for about a year. Brenda told me that a year ago she was looking to sign up for a walking clinic but it was full so she went with the learn-to-run clinic instead. She struggled on her very first run and remembered feeling like she was dying with breathing difficulties and her heart was about to jump out of her chest! While struggling with her first run she recalled at one point seeing a landmark (a pink bush on the side of the road) in the distance and said to herself “I will get to that bush and either stop and never run again or I will keep on running”. She got to the pink bush and then just kept on running. As I mentioned before, I wasn’t very motivated before the run but by this point I was jazzed up and glad I came out for the run. I told Brenda that she made my day!
Lately I have been preoccupied with organizing the run to northern Canada in Spring 2010 with my team in BC, meeting people in and outside of the mental health industry, occasionally looking for jobs (the colonel’s people never call back:) and selling my rv. I have also began to volunteer at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Vancouver where I learned to play bingo for the first time and it was fun!:)
In the process of promoting the cause and the run, I have been attending mental health events and meeting great people. For example, earlier this week I attended an event that was organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association of Burnaby/Vancouver where I saw old friends again and met another young man named Ben Verboom who just biked across the country to raise awareness for suicide.
The event was held at a park and as I was walking out of the park at the end of the event I came across a youngster who was trying to do a chin-up exercise at the bars that were set up in the park. The youngster was about 11 or 12 years old. What caught my attention at first were the fact that the youngster was wearing a relatively thick jacket and long pants on a warm day and her hair was long and seemingly uncared for, and the other signs of a child who was neglected or lacking a permanent or proper home.
The other thing that caught my attention was how upset she was when she wasn’t able to raise her chin to the bar. She disappointedly yelled “I can’t do it!” and swung her fists to show her displease. I was a little sad to see her disappointment so I walked up to her and encouraged her to give the chin-up another try. She again was unable to meet the bar and again swung her fists and said “See! I can’t do it!”. I observed that her second trial actually got her chin closer to the bar than her first attempt so I mentioned that to her and encouraged her to try it again. She didn’t make it at her third trial either and was again upset but I pointed out that she was closer than the last two times and that she can try it again. I was not sure why she listened to me but she did and the fourth trial was a success! I was excited! She was even more excited as you can imagine. I gave her a high-five and she started jumping around in joy! I can still remember how sweet I felt inside as I shared her celebration. But it didn’t end there.
Once the youngster stopped jumping around, she abruptly asked me “what’s the best way for me to lose weight?”. I told her I wasn’t sure but I like running and it keeps me active so she might want to give it a try. She agreed so I advised her to run to the end of the trail then back. The youngster took off like a storm and ran with so much energy and vigor that it amazed me and her fighting spirit brought a smile to both my face and my heart! She got to the end of the trial then ran back with the same energy. At the end while she was sitting on the ground panting, I told her that I truly believed that she can become a champion one day and that she will feel good and look good. I asked if she will continue to run but she said she’s not sure because running is too tiring (not the answer I was looking for:). So I showed her how to warm up with a slower run and some stretch exercises to alleviate the fatigue. I asked her where she lived but she didn’t feel comfortable answering that so I left her my contact information in case she has any questions and I told her that I would come back to the park to check on her progress next week. I walked out of that park with a melted heart.
I am not sure who was giving and who was receiving. Maybe that distinction is insignificant.
The reality for me now is trying to find a job in BC while planning my upcoming run to northern Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories & Nunavut) in spring 2010. A few days ago I dropped off my resume at a pharmaceutical retail store and another one at a delicatessen created by a former Colonel. Now a few of you may think “What?? You are applying for jobs at a drug store and fast food place?” Well, yes. My job of choice is of course in the mental health industry and I have already spread the words to people I know but there does not appear to be too many temporary openings at the moment. The other natural choice for me is to return to what I was doing before I started the run, which was technical support (as I have clarified to a few people, it’s not IT). I would love to go back to working with my former colleagues but that is not even an option right now as they are located in Toronto and it’s not a field that naturally attracts me. The reality is that it could take some time before I can find the job of my choice and in the mean time I need a source of income.
I am currently staying with a family friend, Uncle Ming, and his family in Vancouver. During a conversation, they mentioned that I might want to check with the grocery store across the street for some part time opportunities. Now, Uncle Ming and his family have been treating me really well since I arrived in Vancouver over a month ago and I respect their suggestions, but I almost dismissed the idea of working in a grocery store instantly. I didn’t spend years in university and ran all the way across the country to stack groceries! But then I asked myself “since when am I too good to do some honest work??” It’s a fact that I need a source of income so why don’t I just get off of my high horses and roll up my sleeves. I think I need to thank my mom for installing that mentality in me.
I have been keeping myself reasonably active since the end of my run. My days have been pretty leisure and I just hang out with friends on some days but there actually are a lot of work to be done to prepare for the next run to northern Canada. I have been working with a group of students from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. I am also contacting organizations for grants and I have been networking with various people to organize the run.
I have also started the process to sell my recreational vehicle as I wouldn’t need it in the next 10 months. The bad news is that I am having troubles selling the vehicle because after a year-long journey it’s not in the best shape. While I was at the RV dealership, at one point I was standing outside in a light rain staring at my RV, aka my “buddy”. All the stories and memories from the journey just rushed through my head. The people who shared parts of the journey with me in that vehicle; the winter days we spent together where there were just the RV and I; the fun times and the not so fun times, all part of a memorable journey. However, as much as I don’t want to let go, I have to let it go in order to stop the daily expenses of keeping it around. The question now is how can I sell it?
The reality is that I’m currently feeling the stress from the problems of getting a job and selling my RV. I just got off the phone with my family who could hear my anxiety over the phone and as usual they wanted to help. I feel bad about making my family worry but I don’t want to lie to them about how I feel either. Despite all the stress and worries that are going through my head right now, I believe there’s a purpose to whatever difficulties I am currently experiencing and that I will learn my lessons and become a better person. I am actually getting a little depressed right now. I am a little overwhelmed with all the problems that I need to deal with. At times I questioned myself about what I did and what I plan to do:
“was running across the country really value-added?”
“if so, then why am I struggling with the current problems and feel so alone at times?”
“was it worth it?”
“should I still continue to the north?”
I just got a note from a good friend who didn’t know what I am currently going thru and was just checking how I am doing. It was a simple note but it felt extra sweet at this time and it almost brought my tears out. I think one of the purposes that my current depressive mood is serving is that it reminds me how lonely one feels when affected by anxiety, depression and mental illness in general. It can make us feel so weak that even the little problems seem so daunting and even the smallest positive gestures can lift us up. That’s why support is so important to people affected by mental illness. I don’t like being in this depressed mood but my family and my friend have made me feel warmer inside. As I am typing this sentence I can feel that the anxious sensation in my stomach is being turned into positive energy. I still need to resolve my problems but the pessimism is slowly switching over to optimism. Negative thoughts are being replaced with positive ones. Perhaps that’s the miracle of love. Love for ourselves and for others.
I am currently in Victoria, BC to attend a few functions, including the BC Healthy Minds-Healthy Campuses Summer Conference. I have lots to say about the conference which ended yesterday but I am feeling pretty tired right now and would like to share a special story before I involuntarily doss off. Over the next few days I will write about the many great stories that I have come across at the conference and the wonderful people that I have met.
For this visit to Victoria I am staying with my new friend Bruce Saunders. Bruce promotes awareness of mental health through films at his special project Movie Monday in Victoria. I went for a run this morning to check out Bruce’s neighbourhood. Shortly into my run I came across a mother with a young kid on a kiddy bike. The mother murmured something to her kid as I ran by which got my attention so I turned around to find out what was happening. It turned out that the mother was trying running for the first time in a long time but she was having problem looking after her son at the same time. I decided to run along them and entertain the little guy for a while but I didn’t talk about my run at first. By this time, the little boy had abandoned his bike to run with us so the three of us bounced down the sidewalk together. The kid and I had fun entertaining each other while I shared with the mother my learn-to-run goofy moments. Towards the end of the run I finally bragged about my recent run to raise awareness of anxiety and depression. The mother then told me that she has been suffering from severe depression since young and that she is currently going through another bad bout of the illness. In fact, when I first saw her and her son she was giving running a try to feel better. It felt like a special encounter from the movies! I was glad that I didn’t just keep on running in the first place and I was happy that the mother seemed to be encouraged by the successful completion of her first attempt at running. I was totally elated by the experience! After saying goodbye to the new runner and my little friend, I continued my run with the feeling that I was running on air…then I got a little (just a little) lost in the new neighbourhood and the rain started to come down, but it was a good day!
Alright, I have finished my run to Victoria, BC on June 11th but haven’t had the chance to put up a blog entry. Part of the reason for the delay was that I wasted too much time trying to come up with a ‘special’ blog entry to commemorate the end of this journey but I finally realized that the most important thing is to inform people that I have actually completed the run. I apologize for the delay if you have been waiting for an update and I obviously still need to work on my time management skills, among others.
Anyhow, I figured that I should just take this time to thank those who have helped me throughout this journey to raise awareness of mental health. I would like to start with my colleagues and friends at Chase Paymentech, a.k.a. my home team, who helped launch this journey and some have maintained consistent communication with me all the way. I still remember how warm I felt when they sent me off to Newfoundland and how good I felt when I saw them again in Toronto. I still have on the wall of my RV the huge farewell card that my colleagues gave me with good wishes written all over it. After more than a year of motivating me on the road, some of the taping that has been holding the card to the wall is peeling off because the card is heavy with their love and support. I can’t thank them enough.
This journey wouldn’t have happened without the help of many, many friends. Friends back home and friends I have met throughout the journey. Friends who lent a hand when I reached out and friends who made sacrifices to support this cause. One important lesson I have learned from this journey is the value of friendships. I realized how quickly friendships can form during this journey where the normal barriers between human beings seem to be non-existent. I think that I have been getting a free ride on the human love train for the past year when people I met for the first time just opened up their hearts and love me unconditionally. Perhaps this is just how we are.
Along the way I met numerous wonderful people who work in the mental health area, helping those in need day-in and day-out. I wish to thank all of them for their passion to care for those affected by mental illness and for helping me spread the message.
The other group of people I want to thank are those affected by these illnesses like myself. For example, the man at the beach who picked me up with his story when I was feeling a little lost; the couple who shared with me their life-long battle with these illnesses while giving me a ride to support this cause.
Words like the following kept me going:
“The very fact that I have anxiety is depressing me .I cannot get over the fact that I have it…I am worrying about worrying and getting depressed about getting depressed.”
Words like these gave me hope:
“You’ve definitely given me hope that I can get past this… I’ve been ashamed of having anxiety and depression but you are helping to make others realize that people with anxiety and depression are completely capable and can actually be really interesting people.”
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their unconditional love and support. I know I have caused more than a few headaches, especially to my mother, throughout this eventful journey. However, my family has stuck with me through the highs and lows, giving me confidence to go on when I had doubts. I appreciate the huge sacrifices they have made to support my journey. They have truly shown me love. I am blessed!
This is not a good-bye note to those of you who have been following this run or those of you who have just become aware of this cause. I will continue to share with you my endeavors to further raise awareness of mental health. I will be collaborating with mental health organizations and I will be speaking about my experience in different functions. In the near future, I plan to organize a run to northern Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) to raise awareness of these illnesses in the rest of Canada. Furthermore, I am hoping to run to other countries in order to spread the message to all corners of the world.
Once we have taken the first step, the next step becomes easier.
Keep making small steps and we will reach the world!
I cannot change the world as I am just one man. But with you, we can!
Love led me to this journey. Love gave me strength. Love is you and me.
Love…
Jay and I had a little celebration of the anniversary of this run which began in Newfoundland on May 23rd last year. That’s right, it has been a long, exciting journey and I feel that I have been on the road forever!
While waiting for me to finish my run one day, Jay met someone whose husband has been taken antidepressant medications for over 30 years and whose son committed suicide at the age of 21 due to depression! When the lady found out why Jay was lingering the parking lot, she gave him a hug. Upon learning about the story, I was saddened by the unfortunate events that happened to this person’s family, which reminded me of the fact that these tragedies are very preventable. If we are as aware of the symptoms of mental illness as we are with physical illness then we can hopefully catch the illness before it becomes worse; If we could remove the stigma attached to mental illness then hopefully it would encourage patients to seek professional help at the first sign of trouble; If we all speak up about mental health then hopefully it will lead to patients receiving the best treatments for their illness. It only makes sense that people with an illness, physical or mental, receive the best treatment and nothing less!
The lady’s story initiated a discussion between Jay and me of treatment options for mental illness. I personally believe that medications can be beneficial to some patients with mental illness, perhaps only temporarily, but I do not support their long term use. However, anyone who is thinking about altering their medication dosage should consult their doctor to work out a plan. As you probably know, I am a firm believer in the benefits of physical exercises against mental illness as physical exercises have helped me deal with my anxiety symptoms and I believe they can benefit many others as well. Physical exercises are natural to us and can typically lead to biological effects that strengthen our body and mind against mental illness. Ultimately, I believe that consistent psychotherapy is very important for most patients of mental illness, perhaps to get to the root cause in some cases. Essentially, I support a multimodal approach where the best result is likely achievable with a combination of the treatment options. The bottom line is that patients of mental illness should get as much information as possible about their treatment options so that they can become an active participant in the treatment process, thus hopefully will lead to better treatment outcomes.
Jay got good media coverage for the cause in Kamloops, BC which included newspaper, radio and TV. We also visited the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) drop-in centre in Kamloops and spoke with a group of mental health patients who made good use of the resources at the vibrant centre. I was motivated by my conversations with the folks there who strongly supported the cause and some of them also shared their experience with the illnesses. I told Christa, the program manager at CMHA Kamloops, that I really enjoyed my visit as I felt the positive energy there as soon as I stepped inside. Instead of focusing on the illness, Christa explained to me that their goal is to help the patients focus on who they are as a person and the positive things that they like to do. I like that approach a lot and feel that Christa and her colleagues are doing a wonderful job at it.
We continue to come across nice folks at campgrounds who support this cause by providing us complimentary stays. The kind people encountered recently include: Greg at the Pierre’s Point Campground, who have battled these illnesses in the past and spoke passionately about the issues; Ken at the Alpiner Motel Restaurant & Campground; Elson at the Knutsford RV Campground; and Rosemary at the Claybanks RV Park in Merritt.
Total distance ran: 7870 km
Current location: Merritt, BC
Upcoming Schedule:
May 31 Hope
June 3 Abbotsford
June 4 Langley
June 5 Coquitlam, Burnaby & Surrey
June 6 – 7 Vancouver
June 8 – 10 Richmond
June 11 Victoria
We stayed at the serene Noah’s Ark RV Park near Revelstoke, BC last night and I took a walk around the campground after getting up this morning to enjoy some quiet moments in this nice campground. I thought about the things that I needed to do in the near future: work with Jay to contact all of the mental health groups and community clubs in western BC to advise them of my arrival on June 11 so that we can hopeful work with them to maximize awareness in the area; plan my life after the run; take care of financial obligations that resulted from this journey, etc…all the things that heightened my anxiety level.
I have been feeling some pressure from my family. In part, they are worried about my financial situation, and rightfully so, as I continue to draw on personal loans to complete this journey. My mom is especially worried about my future given that I am living off of debts, something that she’s strongly against and which I am also not very proud of. On one hand, I am a little worried about my situation as well but on the other, I know that I will probably be able to pay back the loans in a year or so once I hunker down on a job after my run. There might also be the possibility of documenting my run at some point in a book or something like that but it’s a long shot and I have decided that if it happens, the excess proceeds would go toward research and awareness of the illnesses. Anyways, those were the fun things that occupied my mind as I paced up and down the campground this morning.
When I returned to the RV I found an envelope on our picnic table with the words “Mental Health Donation” written on it. I suspected it was a nice gesture from either the operator of the park or their caretaker. The thing about it was that the campground operators were already giving us a complimentary stay at the campground in support of the cause. Now this donation on top of everything?! I didn’t even check the amount of the donation because I was already tearing up. That envelope seemed to have diverted my attention away from my personal worries and made me focus on the run. Frankly, I have been sidetracked by personal concerns and desires for awhile and felt that I have not been committed to the run as much as I should. This served as a reminder for me to refocus on the run and put aside my personal concerns. I was reminded of the reason why people have supported this cause in such passionate ways is that they realize how devastating these illnesses can be and how desperate we are in need of public awareness and understanding. By shifting the focus away from myself, I became less anxious about what will happen next and more at ease with where I am in the present. I am always amazed by the fresh perspectives that one gains from letting go of things.
I recently came across a wonderful website www.CureTogether.com, which helps people anonymously track and compare health data, to better understand their bodies, make more informed treatment decisions and contribute data to research. One of the cofounders, Alexandra Carmichael, had contacted me to offer her help in spreading the words about this cause and I’m very greatful for that.
Total distance ran: 7672 km
Current location: Salmon Arm, BC
Upcoming Schedule:
May 24 – 25 Kamloops
May 27 – 29 Merritt
June 3 Abbotsford
June 4 Langley
June 5 Coquitlam, Burnaby & Surrey
June 6 – 7 Vancouver
June 8 – 10 Richmond
June 11 Victoria
It has been more than a week since the Cross Canada Run crew (Jay and I) entered the mountain ranges and I have certainly seen my share of hills during this time. After climbing about 16km of hills up Roger’s Pass, the steepest section in the area, I have been enjoying some easier time cruising down the hills while admiring the beautiful mountainous scenery. Getting up-close with nature has calmed me down considerably as I often find tranquility in natural environments: from running near cliffs overlooking beautiful icebergs and the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland to the gorgeous fall colors in Quebec to the cool, still snow-covered landscapes in Northern Ontario and the huge open skies in the prairies.
The natural theme that soothes me during my runs these days consists of mountains (of course), lakes, creeks, forests, waterfalls, animals and birds in the wild. Feeling a little lost over the last little while, the opportunity to get in touch with nature enabled me to be a little more grounded and more in tune with my self.
Life on the road has been a good mix of work and fun while the arrival of spring has added variety to the fun part. Jay is addictively fond of hot springs and since he is in charge of planning out our schedule, we have had the good fortune of coinciding our rest days around places with hot springs. So on our last day off, we naturally stayed at the Albert Canyon Hot Springs campground where the operator gave us a discount on the accommodation rate and threw in a couple of passes for the hot springs.
It was around the hot spring where we had casual conversations with fellow patrons that progressed into discussions about mental health. Coincidentally, two of the people we conversed with were the mother and sister of a man who has been suffering from anxiety and depression for years without proper treatment. The man had a history of turning to alcohol to curb the problems but finally sought professional help after his illnesses worsen. However, the medications that were prescribed to him have not been working for the man and his family is concerned for him. I shared with them my story, the experience of people I came across on this journey, and the importance of professional help and patience. The mother then added that what they need the most is HOPE! Hope, indeed. Hope, we must. After our conversation, I felt that we all walked away feeling a little more hopeful.
Believe it or not, this leg of my journey is coming to an end soon on June 11. That’s right, we expect to arrive in Victoria, BC in less than a month. I am beginning to ponder what to do after my run but I have a feeling that things will work out and I will be able to occupy myself with something fun. In the mean time, I will keep trekking and try to smell the wild flowers along the Trans Canada Highway.
The last week or so has been quite exhausting for me due to pressures that I imposed upon myself to learn new things and to advance myself. Through new encounters with people, I continue to discover areas that I need to work on in order to live a more fulfilling life. I may be a little hard on myself at times and I know that patience is the key but I realized right from the start of this run that in addition to running for a cause this would be a journey for personal development, and as such, I am always excited about opportunities – however they may present themselves - for personal growth.
The run has been progressing well and my current tour manager, Jay, has been very helpful since he came on board and took care of many things that would otherwise cause me headaches. Jay is a very organized, multi-talented individual and I am very fortunate to be working with him. Jay and I had some fun in Brooks, AB speaking to students at St. Joseph’s Collegiate. Kim and Heather at the school did a fantastic job at organizing the meeting opportunities and we spoke to approximately 120 students over two days about mental health. At the start of all of the presentations, Kim and the students always began with prayers for things that they care about and for my journey. In addition to it being a new experience for me, I felt that Kim and the students were genuinely wishing me well and that they were supporting this journey. Most of the students were very receptive to my messages, some came up to me to shake my hand after the presentations and one even talked to me about his personal experience with anxiety, which was inspirational to me.
On another note, I ran into Calgary with little media coverage even though Jay had contacted all the media and local organizations in advance. The only media that came to the Calgary City Hall to cover my run was the Metro Newspaper, who did a good job at reporting the cause. What made up for the small media attention was our wonderful meeting with the folks from the Mental Health unit of Alberta Health Services in Calgary and the Canadian Mental Health Association of Calgary. Julia and Christine from Alberta Health Services were very enthusiastic about the run and they even introduced us to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, who is producing a short video about me and the run to be featured on their website to promote mental health recovery. The Commission is a national body funded by the Government of Canada to focus on mental health issues and to work to improve the health and social outcomes of people living with mental illness.
Carmen, our warm and welcoming host at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of Calgary, introduced Jay and I to their wonderful staff and gave us a tour of the nice facility. It always warms my heart to meet people who passionately care for those who need assistance and I came across many at CMHA.
I got a little lost when I was running out of Calgary. Although Jay and I had mapped out my route where I would be running on the sidewalks along the Calgary streets, I got confused at one point when the path for pedestrians ended. I panicked at first because I wasn’t sure which way to go and the easy choice would be to backtrack to the streets and try to find my way out of the city. I panicked because my sense of direction is not too good and I don’t like the feeling of getting lost. So at that point I could either run back to the streets where I at least know where I am going or I could challenge myself a little to chart the unknown roads facing me. I decided on the latter. I figured that if I fall back to what was comfortable to me –which was to run back to the streets- then I would miss out on the chance to improve my navigational skills. Upon that decision, I started to look around and found a trail along a river that led me out of Calgary. It turned out to be an enjoyable run after all.
On my first day running into the Rocky Mountains, I came across a small town shortly after entering the mountain range and was looking for a place to borrow a washroom. I spotted the local lions club at first but it was closed so I looked around and saw that next door was a community church. I pulled on the front door to the church and was a little surprised to find it open so I stepped in and found a man inside who then gave me permission to use the facility. I thanked the man afterwards and proceed to leave when he asked if I was out for a run, obviously noticing my running attires. I told him what I was doing and found out that he was the pastor of the church and that his relationship with God helps him deal with anxiety. The nice pastor then asked if he can pray for me, which I agreed, and he proceed to ask God to bless me and my journey. I do not have any religious background but I appreciated the prayers very much and it really made me feel good. I suppose most people would feel good when a stranger, or anyone else for that matter, wishes good things for you. I thanked the pastor for the prayer and for making my day but he indicated that I also made his day: he was actually struggling with his anxiety and was just praying to God a few hours ago and then here I am with a t-shirt saying “I have anxiety”. I was pretty inspired by that encounter which gave nice warm feelings that accompanied me up the mountain roads.
Total distance ran: 7285 km
Where I am: Banff, AB
Upcoming schedule:
May 13 – Lake Louise, AB
May 20 – Revelstoke, BC
May 23 – Salmon Arm, BC
May 28 – Kamloops, BC
I gazed out into the night sky before sitting down to begin this journal entry and all I could see was the murky sky at first as it was a cloudy night. But then I saw a star shining through the dark sky, then another, and another… that’s what Michelle has been to me in this journey. A shining star when things appeared dark and cloudy. Michelle came into the picture of this journey when I realized that I wasn’t able to continue the run on my own. With perseverance, fortitude, genuine appreciation of people, and a range of other personal skills, Michelle has taken this cause to another level. With her involvement, we brought the message of this run directly into classrooms, health care centres, business clubs, and even mayors’ offices. I can recall one of our visits to a school in Kenora, ON where Michelle planned and played games with the kids to educate them about mental health. At the Welcome Inn drop-in centre for mental health patients in Brandon, MB, Michelle captivated the attention of an audience who couldn’t get enough of her fascinating stories about the run and her vast travel experience. When we attempted to schedule our very first speaking engagement in Ignace, Ontario, we were told that the mental health worker was busy and that we needed to come back the next business day. On Michelle’s insistence, we went back to the health centre the next day and spoke with the health care worker who readily connected us with our first speaking engagement – as they say, the rest was history!
From having snacks or meals ready on the table after my runs to arranging our accommodations to helping me treat my blisters, I could always count on Michelle to make my journey a smoother process. Michelle has sacrificed much for this cause and her wonderful work likely has benefited many Canadians who are affected by anxiety, depression and mental illness. I certainly have deep appreciation of Michelle’s contribution and have a lot more good things to say about her wonderful personality but decided to lead you through some unique moments that we shared together during this journey.
The first day of our journey together led us to a barn in Northern Ontario, which was still cold and snow-covered as can be seen on the photo. While I was expecting to spend the night in some parking lot since there were no motels or hotels in the immediate area, Michelle managed to arrange accommodation in a barn where we spent a couple of warm nights. Since then, Michelle has arranged many more warm couches and beds for us to stay along the way.
We were still in the middle of the winter when I resumed the cross-country run in late February where temperatures got as low as -36˚C. The challenges that I had with running in severe cold were still fresh in my mind when I began this new leg of the run and I really wasn’t sure how I was going to handle the cold this time around. Fortunately, Michelle did a good job at ensuring a trouble-free journey, thus making the cold more bearable. If running outside in the cold was my challenge then I think one of the obstacles that Michelle had to overcome was living in a RV in the middle of winter. Like me, Michelle was not very fond of the winter but she found ways to cope with the elements. As you can see from the below photo, Michelle was dressed in full winter gears inside the RV while enjoying a meal. It demonstrates Michelle’s character and the sacrifices that she made to help spread the message of this cause.
In addition to the many tasks required to manage the journey, Michelle also found time to run with me 4 to 5 days a week. I have always enjoyed our runs on Highway #1, especially when I needed extra motivations on the road. Together, we ran pass unique rock formations along the highway, waved to the many truck drivers, surfed a little in the wind when the big rigs passed us by, and ran through cold and snowy days. I will forever treasure our foot prints on the Trans Canada Highway.
I often describe kind people who passionately support this journey as angels who are watching over me and Michelle was certainly one of my guardian angels. As words and photos combined can not completely describe my appreciation of Michelle’s contributions to this run, I simply would like to thank her for enriching my journey and for benefiting the lives of those who are affected by anxiety and depression. Michelle is a kind heart, a good friend, and an amazing human being. I hope that she will shine even brighter in her future endeavors and bring light to the lives of many more.
Today, I spoke at the mental health drop-in centre in Medicine Hat, AB. Initially I felt tired so my words lacked some enthusiasm but I still got good responses from a small group of patients and a few health care workers. In addition to arranging TV and newspaper coverage, the Canadian Mental Health Association marketing person actually invited the Mayor to greet us to their fantastic city. Frankly, I was a little shy about the experience at first but I can definitely get used to this type of nice gestures. I was tired at first and regurgitated my standard speech but after awhile I got comfortable with the warm and friendly faces at the centre, so I began to ease up and got in touch with the folks who asked me a lot of good questions. Talking to others who are familiar with the illness always motivates me greatly as their deep appreciation for this cause reminds me of the reasons why I am running.
The other awesome thing was that the Mayor invited Jay, my new tour manager, and I to dinner, which we happily accepted. Before the dinner, I was getting a little nervous and even started to worry about what to wear to the dinner. As it turned out, Mayor Norm Boucher and his wife Sonia are very down-to-earth people and the Mayor is as a nice person as he is a nice Mayor. Mrs. Mayor prepared a very nice meal, over which we shared some fantastic conversations. I was mesmerized by the Mayor’s insightfulness as well as his positive outlook on life. I was also happy that the Mayor wholeheartedly supports this cause. Meeting Mayor Boucher further opened up my eyes and mind.
The people of Medicine Hat have indeed been very kind and welcoming to the Cross Canada Run. For example, we were provided with complimentary stays at a couple of camp grounds while we were in the city. The Hat is another city that I have fallen in love with.
