Walking Across the Province for HD

Last month, Greg Shwaga walked 700km across the beautiful province of Saskatchewan, from Provost, Alberta to Roblin, Manitoba. It took him just under three weeks and his adventures were able to raise almost $30,000 for Huntington disease research and awareness.

One of our team members was personally drawn to this fundraiser, as she spent five years living in Saskatchewan and this is something that she would love to do herself. She had the opportunity to talk to Greg and ask him some questions about his walk once he was finished.

What was the most surprising part of the walk experience for you?

The most surprising part was seeing how this event took off on social media. There were people that I hadn't met or hadn't seen in years that were checking in to see how I was doing. I live streamed the walk on Facebook and people actually tuned in to see me walking across the province.

​What was the most challenging part?

Most challenging was the traffic.  I could never really just peacefully walk because the traffic was constant.  Blisters and knee pain were always a constant as well.

How did you keep your spirits up when you were having a hard day?

You have to keep thinking about why you are doing what you are doing. You also remind yourself that any of your discomforts are temporary while someone with HD can't just say "I'm done in three weeks." I also had people walk with me for various portions of the trip so that helped me get through those days.

What were some of the most memorable moments of this experience?

Having family members join me was special. The many people that stopped me on the road and wished me well and the many people on Facebook and Twitter that cheered me on were all special moments.  The most special moments and messages were when people that had a connection with HD contacted me and endorsed my campaign. I knew then that I was doing something beneficial. Before that, I wasn't sure how much people with HD or had a connection with HD wanted a spotlight shone on the disease. Their messages eased my mind that it was okay and timely to raise the profile of HD.

Congratulations Greg! We are so proud of what you were able to do! Greg’s fundraising page is still open at bit.ly/GregSKWalk, so it’s not too late to make a donation.

For more information about Greg’s walk, check out his blog at https://igslearn.com/2017/07/13/on-the-road/

If you would like to create or attend an event for the Huntington Society of Canada, please contact us at events@huntingtonsociety.ca