In less than a week, Jimmy Lefebvre will complete a cross-country walk in honour of his father.
Lefebvre, along with his mother, wife and three of his kids, have made their way from Grande Prairie, Alta., to St. Louis, P.E.I.
The idea for the walk began after his father, Simon, lost his battle with stage-three lung cancer in 2016.
“I knew I wanted to do something. I just didn’t know what it was at the time,” says Lefebvre.
“I mauled it over and thought about it for a while, and this thought kept coming to mind of walking across Canada.”
Lefebvre says walking over 40 kilometres per day was a challenge at the start, but now they’ve logged 60 kilometres on some of the longer days.
The trip, totaling 5,716 kilometres, took him through the Shediac area Friday.
He says fundraising and raising awareness of overall cancer and health are two of the goals of the trip. Contributions to The L Foundation will go towards research, awareness and education about living healthier lives.
“Just watching as a boy, your dad’s sort of that hero, that role model, that father-figure,” said Lefebvre.
“Watching your hero almost wither away to nothing was quite eye-opening.”
Lefebvre’s mother, Rita, says it’s meant a lot to her to be with her son for the trip.
“I’m hoping this will help him heal and help him put a closure to the last two years that he’s had of dealing with his father’s death.”
Lefebvre wants the endowment fund to benefit generations to come.
Only one week remains in the 123-day trip. The final stop, expected to be Friday, Aug. 31, will be a visit to his father’s grave site in P.E.I.
Aug. 31 would have also been Simon Lefebvre’s 72nd birthday.
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