Bella Coola’s Tim Michalchuk plans to complete his Million Steps walk for MS from Prince George to Vancouver tomorrow.
Speaking from the road near Pitt Meadows, Tim said he planned to make a short day of his walk Friday and camp with his family in Burnaby before completing the walk Saturday.
He plans to arrive at the MS clinic at the University of B.C.’s teaching hospital by noon, completing the walk he started April 2 from Prince George to raise funds so that his wife, Shannon, can have stem cell treatment for MS.
He said walking from Hope to Mission on the Highway 1 freeway was a little “spooky” with all the fast moving traffic but that he felt a little more comfortable when he turned onto the Lougheed Highway.
“There is still lots of traffic but it doesn’t move as fast,” Tim said.
Shannon and their children Mavorneen, 7, and Peter, 4 joined Tim in Hope last Monday and have stayed with him for the last leg of his trek into Vancouver.
They ride in his support vehicle, camping out with him in the small trailer they are towing.
Shannon said she has made sure Tim has had a good lunch every afternoon and that he stays hydrated, but the extra effort of being on the road this week has been tiring.
“It’s definitely been tiring but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Shannon said. “I wish I could have been with him from the start.”
Shannon said she and their children were pretty excited to see Tim and themselves on Global television the last couple of days but she is not sure what the reception will be at UBC tomorrow.
In addition to raising funds for her own treatment, Shannon said she hopes Tim’s walk will raise more awareness about MS in Canada.
“There are more cases of MS in Canada than anywhere else in the world,” Shannon said.
She said friends from Bella Coola, who now live in Vancouver, have planned a potluck dinner for him on Monday, May 2.
More on Tim and Shannon’s progress can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/kehkkd4k and on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/MillionStepsToSaveMyShannon.
