79-year-old completes walk from Calgary to Vancouver, raises over $500K for charity
With a group of supporters by his side, Gary Averbach received a hero’s welcome at Vancouver's Jack Poole Plaza Thursday, the final stop of his 1,100-kilometre journey.
The moment marked the end of Averbach’s 46-day walk from Calgary to Vancouver. The physical challenge is something he’s been wanting to accomplish for years, calling it part of his "before 80 bucket list."
“It makes me feel really humble,” said the 79-year-old.
The walk took on a deeper meaning, however, when his cousin and business partner Bob Golden made a special request to Averbach on his death bed.
“My dad took him by the hand and said: ‘I want you to walk for me, Gary, so this wretched disease doesn’t happen to somebody else,” said Adam Golden, Bob’s son. “It was obviously a very remarkable and touching moment.”
“His whole family was there,” said Averbach. “That’s how it started. That’s why it’s Bob’s Walk for Cancer.”
He took off in late June, battling hilly terrain, near-freezing temperatures in the Rockies, and scorching 40+ degree heat near Edmonton. He says he averaged around 25 kilometres a day, and still has plenty left in the tank.
“It’s amazing and it’s true. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” said Averbach. “I feel better and healthier today than when I started.”
Averbach also chose to use the walk as a way to honour three more friends and family members who died of cancer within the past year. With funds still coming in, Averbach estimates he’ll raise nearly $600,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation.
“It’s incredible what he’s achieved and I think it’s inspiring to so many people,” said Elissa Morissette of the BC Cancer Foundation. “Not just the dollars that were raised, but the awareness that he’s created in terms of the need to fund research.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Averbach.
Averbach says his next big bucket list items include a trip to West Africa and skydiving.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.