On Saturday, May 7, Harry McMurtry, who has Parkinson’s disease, started his 500-mile walk from New York City to his hometown, Toronto, to raise money for Parkinson’s research.

 

McMurtry will walk up to 15 miles a day for over 45 days, which is a tremendous challenge for anyone with Parkinson’s. He is joined by two other walkers, Sue Thompson and Dr. Ross Sugar both of whom also suffer from Parkinson’s disease to raise awareness and funds to help the over 6.3 million people worldwide who suffer from the disease.

 

Honorary patrons of the walk include hockey all-star Wayne Gretzky, Olympic athletes Adam van Koeverden and Ashley Holzer, rocker Tom Cochrane, fashion icon Jeanne Beker and other celebrities pledging their support.

 

Over the course of the walk, the team will be making school visits to engage and educate students about the disease and give them a chance to meet and walk with the crew as they pass through upstate New York before crossing over into Canada and finally arrive in Toronto June 20th.

 

The proceeds from the 500 Miles for Parkinson’s bi-national project will be pooled and then shared amongst three beneficiaries: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research; The Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Centre at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network; and Mount Sinai Beth Israel Movement Disorders Center in New York.

 

More information here.