'The walk is for all Albertans': Edmonton man launches 500 kilometre walk for Lung Association
This morning Chris Sadleir went for a walk, but it wasn't just a simple stroll to the park or around the neighbourhood.
Instead, the walk symbolized the beginning of a 500 km long trek that will cover much of the province.
Beginning at House of Cars in Lethbridge, he’ll walk all the way to Edmonton in just 17 days, averaging around 30 km per day.
Although this is the second-straight year Sadleir has taken on a challenging journey for his 'Walk to Breathe' fundraiser, he's tacked on an additional 210 km for this year's walk.
He's hoping to see a lot of friendly faces along the way to motivate him over the finish line. Even if he has to crawl his way to Edmonton.
"Fifteen kilometres into the day, that's when fatigue starts setting in and you're really only halfway through your day," he said.
LUNG DISEASE
Lung disease is something that he's seen first-hand and it's a cause that’s very close to his heart.
“The inspiration for the walk to breathe comes from my father and my mother, my determination for doing the walk is for all Albertans," said Sadleir.
Several years ago, Sadleir’s father began to suffer from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) which is essentially scarring of the lungs.
He needed a double lung transplant which he was lucky enough to receive, but Sadleir knows that not everyone is as lucky as his father.
Chris Sadleir's mom and dad, who suffers from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) which is essentially scarring of the lungs.
'WALK TO BREATHE'
At a media event on Tuesday, Bernadine and Toby Boulet spoke with media to show their support for the 'Walk to Breathe' campaign, and to highlight the importance of organ donation.
Their son Logan was one of the 16 people killed in the Humboldt Broncos tragedy roughly years ago.
Logan's organ donations saved or improved the lives of six people which in turn caused a surge in people registering as donors.
The Boulets are looking to keep that momentum going and when it comes to lung disease, donations are crucial.
"The people who have severe lung disease, they will need that lung transplant," said Bernadine Boulet.
"We know that there's not a lot of lungs available because lungs are something that you can only get from a deceased angel donor."
Boulet said that approximately 92 per cent of Canadians said they want to become organ donors, but right now, only 32 per cent are actually registered as donors.
While most won't need a double lung transplant, Sadleir wants Albertans to know just how far-reaching lung disease can be.
"It's an unfortunate guarantee that I can make, but whether it's directly against you, or someone in your family, someone that you know, you will experience lung disease in your lifetime as an Albertan," he said.
Recent estimates show that one in five Albertans will be affected by lung disease at some point in their lives.
Last year when the Lung Association saw a dip in donations due to COVID-19, Sadleir was able to raise $33,000.
With the added distance to his walk this year, he's kicking things up a gear raising the goal to $50,000 and he's already received more than $25,000
While the next 17 days may be exhausting he knows that he has plenty of support behind him.
"It really is inspiring and it really keeps you going to hear those honks, see those waves,"
Donations for the Walk to Breathe campaign can be made at the Lung Association’s website.
With files from Quinn Keenan
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.