Stan Fraser, a Chetwynd mental health advocate who pledged to walk from Bella Coola to Winnipeg, has decided to end his walk due to health concerns.
Fraser began his walk on May 30th. He made it nearly three quarters of the way there, walking a total of 1,875 kilometers. He decided to end the walk in Saskatoon, after experiencing pain in his hip for several weeks.
The 65-year-old Fraser said the decision to stop was not one he came to lightly. He said he spent “a lot of sleepless nights” worried about letting down his supporters, as well as letting down himself.
However, he was also glad to have met many people along the way who have shared their mental health stories with him. Fraser said his goal was to listen, and to start conversations about mental health, and said that’s exactly what happened.
“I look back in the rear-view mirror, at all the people that I’ve talked to and all the people that said I helped, and all the people who told me, ‘look at your accomplishments, not what you failed to do,’” said Fraser. “And I look at that, and at the age of 65, to be able to do 1800 kilometers is no small feat.”
Fraser says he’s going to take about a month to rest and get treatment for his hip, before he decides what to do next. He says it’s possible he may decide to finish the walk next year, or even carry on across Canada.
