A portage with a purpose: Man with multiple sclerosis on a 700-km trek with a canoe
CTV
Felix Jasmin, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago, and his team are carrying a canoe from Toronto to Montreal to raise funds and awareness about the disease.
Felix Jasmin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) two years ago. Now, Jasmin and his team are on a 700-kilometre trek called Le Grand Portage, an 18-day expedition from Toronto to Montreal to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis.
“Our goal is to fight back at what hit me and what is hitting so many Canadians,” he told CTV News.
In Canada, 90,000 people live with MS, one of the highest rates in the world. The disease is caused by the immune system attacking the coating around nerve fibers, disrupting communication between the brain and the rest of the body, an issue that can lead to those with the disease losing the ability to walk independently. Currently, there’s no cure for MS.
“A lot more needs to be done in order to find a cure, and I see the Grand Portage as my way of contributing,” Jasmin said.