Events and circumstance shape a person’s character – they can either tear down one’s goals and outlook or spark and stoke dreams and accomplishment.
Luckily, Jamie McDonald fits into the latter category, and many children in medical need are going to benefit.
McDonald, a native of Gloucester, England, spent a large portion of his youth in hospitals due to a diagnosis of syringomyelia (a rare disorder where a cyst forms on the spinal chord). The ordeal left an imprint on McDonald, who has to date biked from Bangkok to England, broke a record for static cycling and is currently running across Canada to raise money for children’s hospitals in Canada and the U.K.
“I was a tennis teacher a year and a half ago and never, ever imagined the journey would get to this point,” McDonald said. “This world we live in is so friendly and amazing and the people in it are what makes it and I think we need to remind ourselves of that and keep our faith in humanity.”
Unfortunately, McDonald (who sports The Flash superhero costume to put smiles on the faces of children he visits at hospitals during his journey) won’t be able to zip past the Canadian Rockies at supersonic speed – it will take hard work and superhuman determination to tackle the feat in the middle of winter.
“I’ve feared the Rockies all the way across Canada. I knew it was like David meets Goliath,” McDonald said on the daunting task. “But when I finally saw them it was like the anxiety disappeared. Don’t get me wrong, I was still really scared, but they were magnificently beautiful.
“Now that I’m in them I’m loving every minute of it and there is a lot of community in these mountains – there’s runners coming out and it’s definitely helping me out,” McDonald said.
McDonald has now visited over 60 countries and has had some frightening experiences, including gunfire, nasty weather and health issues, but he has found positive support along the journey to keep the motivation flowing.
“I’ve realized something about Canada – its a huge country, but it’s such a small trail and people really understand what I’m trying to achieve. Maybe it’s because you have Terry Fox as your national hero... he’s a huge inspiration of mine as well,” said McDonald. “I’ve had some tough days you know? There’s been some tears on this journey, but if I can think of someone like Terry Fox, with one leg and cancer, suddenly that lifts me –we all need inspiration.”
His condition of syringomyelia affects his nervous system. “Sometimes as a kid I wouldn’t be able to move my legs, I had an immune deficiency, epilepsy – the list goes on and on,” said McDonald. “I’m very lucky at nine years old the symptoms disappeared because I could have lost my mobility or my life and I have a friend back home who’s going down that road right now.
“So I decided to try and give back to the hospitals that helped me as a kid because without them, I might not be here.”
So far, McDonald has raised nearly $94,000 for Canadian children’s hospitals and over Ł12,000 for hospitals near and dear to his heart in the U.K. To follow and make a donation to McDonald’s cause, visit: www.jamiemcdonald.org for more information.
