Duane Hicks
After a very successful run this past July in Australia, Bill Michl now is raising funds for his fourth “Joints in Motion” marathon that will take place in the Cayman Islands next December.
Michl has committed to raising $5,500 for the Arthritis Society to meet his obligation for the chance to run there.
The money raised will go to the local Arthritis Society to help in research and development of treatments, devices, and procedures to help enhance the lives of those living with the crippling and painful disease of arthritis.
“Joints in Motion” is a program where a participant picks an “Arthritis Hero” (someone in the local area suffering the effects of arthritis), then agrees to raise a certain amount of money for the Arthritis Society.
In return, the Arthritis Society finds sponsors to help finance the costs of the marathon for the participant, which he or she then runs in honour of their “hero.”
Michl’s “hero” this time around is Elma Tucker of Fort Frances, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and has been very involved with the local Arthritis Society since the 1990s.
“I am honoured that he chose me,” said Tucker. “There’s a lot of people that have arthritis.”
Michl said that while there’s many people suffering from arthritis, many don’t want to be put in the spotlight as a “hero.”
But Tucker doesn’t mind at all, especially when it’s for such a good cause.
“It raises awareness, and maybe they’ll find a cure someday,” she reasoned.
Arthritis affects one-in-seven Canadians, and one-in-five people here in Northwestern Ontario. It is the major cause of long-term disability in working age adults, as well as the most chronic disease in children, affecting one-in-1,000 Canadian children under the age of 16.
“There’s a lot of people affected by it, and it’s disabling. That’s why I think it should be supported,” Tucker stressed.
“When someone has arthritis, and you don’t see them, you know something’s wrong,” she added. “They’re not able to function, to go out and do as much.”
“I always thought that with arthritis, it affected the fingers, the joints, it made it hard to get out of bed in the morning,” noted Michl. “But it causes blindness, it causes hearing loss.
“I know one woman in Thunder Bay who lost her sense of smell.
“[And] it’s crippling to newborn babies,” he remarked. “I couldn’t believe all the things I didn’t know about it until [I got involved].”
“It can affect your internal organs, too,” echoed Tucker. “It’s not the old people’s disease, where they’re stiff and sore . . . it’s a pain that doesn’t go away.”
All donations are welcome, with those over $20 eligible for a tax receipt.
Michl already has begun fundraising. And as in the past, local resident Melvin Haukaas, who suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis, is helping out, selling the “Windmels” he builds and donating the proceeds to the Arthritis Society through Michl’s campaign.
For more information, contact Michl at 274-1329 or via e-mail at rlsa48@sympatico.ca
Michl will have a website up in the near future where people can sponsor him.
As mentioned above, Michl’s last “Joints in Motion” marathon was on the Gold Coast of Australia this summer.
“It was fantastic. The country, I want to go back and see more of it because I didn’t see enough of it,” he recalled.
“But the run itself, I am on these extended shifts at work and I didn’t get enough training, and I felt it,” Michl smiled.
“Next one, I’ve got to make sure I don’t skimp on the training,” he stressed.
His “Arthritis Hero” this past time was Gaby Hanzuk. For that run in Australia, he raised $9,700.
Further information on arthritis or “Joints in Motion” can be obtained by contacting the Arthritis Society toll-free at 1-800-268-9535.
