Edmonton’s Chris Sadleir raised over $58,000 for the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories through the 500-kilometre walk from Lethbridge to Edmonton, the Walk to Breathe Driven by House of Cars.
“The walk finished on July 23 and looking back on it we are extremely happy for the way things went. Not only did we meet and well exceed our goal of $50,000 but the awareness we were able to raise was tremendous, our work is not done yet though,” Sadleir said.
Last year, Sadleir completed an 11-day, trek from Calgary to Edmonton to support those dealing with lung disease and increase awareness of its far-reaching effects, which was inspired by his father, a double-lung transplant recipient.
This years’ walk was longer as Sadleir walked 30-kilometres a day, over 17 days, however, he knew what to expect, and how far he could go each day from last years’ experience.
“I knew what my body was able to accomplish each day, and the first aid with preparing my feet,” Sadleir said.
Although Sadleir knew what to expect, he did run into challenges including heat, and smoke.
“What was really tough this year was the heat, through southern Alberta some of the heat and there’s no breeze, you can feel the heat coming off the asphalt as your walking on the highway, it was really draining,” Sadleir said.
“My body climatized to that, but then we ran into a very smoky corridor for about four days, that was tough not only on the eyes, wearing the N95 mask did help, but you could taste the smoke, you could feel the smoke on your skin, and it makes you really fatigued,” he added.
Sadleir was beginning to find it extremely difficult to walk the same distance at any one time, so he began walking for shorter stints and taking longer breaks, making the days longer.
“If the smoke got past a certain level on the index, we would have shut it down and play it by ear, but thankfully that didn’t have to happen,” Sadleir said.
Despite the heat and smoke, getting to honour his father, and hear other Albertans’ stories of their struggles with lung diseases and illnesses, and the feeling of making a difference, made the challenges worth it.
One story that stands out to Sadleir was 10-year-old Brandon from Cranston who has been in and out of the hospital his entire life due to severe asthma.
“Things like that are heartbreaking. It’s stories like that, that make me walk with more determination,” Sadleir said.
“There were a couple of days I got very emotional, you think about what you’re trying to do, and you’re trying to inspire people to donate, and it’s not an easy ask in the current climate,” he added. “While people are telling me I’m inspiring them, they are inspiring me every step of the way, and it’s truly made me a better person.”
Going forward, Sadleir is prepared to continue working to raise awareness for the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories.
“We have a lot of work to do to keep building the profile and raising awareness. I feel good, all things considered,” Sadleir said.
Without the support of volunteers along the way, and support from those who donated, the initiative wouldn’t have been possible.
“I’m tremendously appreciative of the volunteers we had along the way. I’ve had consultations with the lung association, this isn’t just for my father, it’s inspired by my father and mother and everything they went through, but there is a lot of work left to do, and a lot of education, because there’s a lot of people who struggle to breathe every day,” Sadleir said.
“Thank you for every penny. It was a life-altering experiencing in a very positive way,” he said.
Donations are now closed.
For more information on the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories, visit, https://www.ab.lung.ca/.
