Glen Sinclair, right, and his family and friends arrived in North Battleford after a 35 hour walk from Meadow Lake. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Tyler Marr

LEFT STRANDED

Man completes walk to raise funds for cancer treatment travel expenses

Jul 11, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Glen Sinclair was diagnosed with liver cancer stemming from Hepatitis C and cirrhosis roughly three years ago.

He is forced to commute from Meadow Lake to North Battleford and Saskatoon for treatment and appointments.

But in April, a vehicle he and his family were given was stolen and destroyed. In the absence of STC and Greyhound, his options to make the trips are severely limited. He is forced to hire others or rely on family to get him around.

“We were stuck in Saskatoon last week,” he said. “We had no way to get back.”

Realizing he is not alone in his challenge to get around, Sinclair embarked on a walk from Meadow Lake to North Battleford in an effort to collect money for those who need help getting to medical appointments.

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The 62-year-old has relied heavily on his sister to get him around, but she has her own life to contend with, he said, have took on the responsibility of four grandchildren after her daughter passed away a number of years ago.

“The government doesn’t give you enough to make appoints if you don’t have a car,” he said. “It is not bad enough you have cancer, then you have the problem with trying to get someplace to stay when you get to your destination and getting back.”

He and a small group of individuals, many of whom are family, left the northern city early Monday and arrived in North Battleford bearing blistered feet and sore legs after 35 hours on the road.

Day one, Sinclair said, met the team with pouring rain. Despite, they made it quite a distance and camped at the end of the old Meadow Lake highway. The wet weather took a toll on the walker’s feet but they pushed through.

“You learn to focus and say to hell with your feet and say come on man keep going,” he said with a laugh.

The next day, they made it Glaslyn and camped at a friends place. On day three, they made their way to the Saulteaux and Mossomin First Nation, where they held a barbecue.

They arrived at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre mid-afternoon on Thursday.

Asked what he was thinking about as he walked, Sinclair said the beauty of the countryside and how warm people can be.

“At first, it was a slow pace and then it started picking up. You are smiling and waving. It was just like you got to know everybody,” he said. “People stopped and said how are you doing. It was just one beautiful hurdle to get over to show you can do it.”

He walked a few kilometres with his niece and nephew, which he said was nice as they had an opportunity to bond like none other.

“I talked their language They understood mine as they know where I come from and they really understand their uncle now,” he said. “We are all the same in different ways.”

As to what comes next, Sinclair said he has another appointment later in July and might attempt to ride a bike between Meadow Lake and North Battleford, but time will tell.

“I feel 100 per cent. One hundred per cent sore and 100 per cent successful that we made it,” he said.

—

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr