Walkers trek 800 km for Parkinson’s cause
Most people who visit New York don’t walk home.
But Harry McMurtry did just that Monday, finishing an 800- kilometre trip ( 500 miles) on foot to Toronto to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
The 54- year- old, who has been living with Parkinson’s since 2005, said the walk — backed by Canadian celebrities ranging from Wayne Gretzky to Tom Cochrane — was the best way to raise awareness for the disabling illness.
“We’ve encouraged people to come out of the shadows,” McMurtry said.
He has been accompanied every step of the way by fellow Torontonian Sue Thompson and Baltimore native Ross Sugar, who both have Parkinson’s. They started walking in May.
Parkinson’s is a progressive, debilitating neurodegenerative disease that manifests in a broad range of symptoms affecting muscles and the nervous system.
“There is a stigma attached to having a disability — you talk funny, you look funny, you walk funny,” McMurtry said.
“We want to show people that they don’t have to stay in the shadows. Come out and lead fulfilling lives, like we do.”
Now living in New York, McMurtry, the son of former Ontario chief justice Roy McMurtry, wanted to unite the two cities and two countries in an effort to fight the disease.
“Parkinson’s knows no borders,” he said. “I came to this idea of walking because it’s one of the activities I can still do well, so I thought, ‘ Why don’t I walk from New York to Toronto?’”
Toronto Mayor John Tory greeted the trio at Osgoode Hall, and several other dignitaries met them at Queen’s Park, including McMurtry’s father, Premier Kathleen Wynne and former premier Bill Davis.
Now that the journey is completed, McMurtry is thrilled the walkers were able to reach their goal.
“You never know your limits until you test them,” he said. “I feel like I tested my limits and I came out on top of the disease.”